Let’s talk about mask shall we.

I had many conversations with people about the use of masks while delivering flu jabs. I suppose it’s a hot topic at the minute.

One person said that those not wearing masks are inconsiderate, while others said that one should choose to wear or not wear a mask, the so-called freedom of speech.

I am not keen on these two sides of the debate about masks, mainly because they didn’t consider that reusable and medical masks do not guarantee 100% protection. In my view, it gives a false sense of security which makes mask wearers engage in risky conduct such as being in a crowded area, not getting a vaccine and not practising social distancing.

I think there are more than two sides in the debate about mask. It’s not just pro-mask and anti-mask. There’s also the third category of people whom I will describe as anyone who will wear a mask when they are sick so as not to infect others and not wear one when they are healthy.

While I wear masks at work because of the company’s protocol, I usually don’t wear one while not working. To me, a mask gives a false sense of security because the medical grade is not sufficient to stop the microdroplets that contain the virus.

Droplets containing flu viruses are produced by those infected by it. When sneezing or coughing, the droplets are relatively large and can effectively be contained with a standard fabric, breathable mask. When the droplets get further away from the person it comes from. It gets smaller and smaller as it gets dispersed. Eventually, the droplets become so small that you need a highly specialised filter to contain them.

In my view, this is simply an exaggerated response to something that simple and cheap masks could easily contain by sick people. This is why the UK government’s campaign, “catch it, kill it and bin it”, is a more cost-effective way of containing the spread of influenza.

In short, if you are sick, you have a responsibility not to spread your illness to other people, and you can easily do that by wearing a cheap fabric mask. This is way more cost-effective than requiring every single person too wear a mask.

Let’s take the example of the East Asian people like the Japanese and the Chinese who embodied this idea earlier than us who appears to live in a more modern and western world.

Let me know your thoughts in the comment below.