Facing up to mandatory mask wearing

One of the changes to be put in place because of the surge in covid19 in TT is that masks are to be made mandatory.

There had been 600 cases confirmed up to Tuesday afternoon. Last Saturday the Government announced it would implement new rules as a result, mask- wearing among them.

Even now, there is disagreement about the merits of masks in the fight against the spread of the virus.

Former health minister Dr Fuad Khan, for one, does not believe there is a need to wear a mask in public unless one is susceptible and physical distancing is not possible.

In a phone interview with Newsday he said people were reacting to fearmongering by the media over the pandemic.

He said TT was falling into the trap of media being "set externally" and putting everything on the front page of how many people have tested positive and how many people died, among other things.

“If you have a medical problem and you are susceptible, yes, wear your mask, protect yourself, wash your hands. Don’t go out in public if you don't need to. Stay away from people.

“But if you are a normal person walking around the place, you are not going to die from covid.

"You are going to be infected with the covid virus and then you are going to recover with antibodies and then there is going to be no deaths,” he said.

Khan said everybody was paying a price based on the hype and fearmongering.

“To say put on masks wherever you are walking in a public space is basically a knee jerk reaction.”

Khan added that gyms and in-house restaurants were practising the proper protocols of taking one’s temperature, ensuring people wore masks as they entered and practising physical distancing, but were then closed.

“Why then shut down the place and destroy the economy and say, 'Wear masks?'”

Khan said all the people in quarantine were not dying and while there is covid19 in TT, people would develop antibodies to it.

He added that the virus would always be here.

“This whole thing seems to be following forward from the politics of the country of the US.”

He said precautions should be taken, but that the “layers and layers of public health ordinance actions” were taking away people’s liberties at each step of the way, with experts saying it was for people's own good.

“But is it really for my own good when the whole place get mash up and no one has died, to any great extent?”

Senior Counsel Israel Khan sees it differently. In a phone interview he said not wearing a mask should be made a criminal offence, and the penalty should be imprisonment and/or a fine.

“They have to make it a criminal offence.”

If one is unable to wear a mask, there should be some provision that a reasonable excuse be provided, he added.

However, someone who is unable to wear a mask should not be allowed out in public.

“Because you are suffering with a disease or something or some impediment that is possibly causing you to contaminate other people, you have to have restrictions on you.”

Khan said, however, this infringes on one’s constitutional rights. He said he has always been of the view that to impose all these restrictions, a State of Emergency should have been called.

But he said it appears no one is challenging it and people are going along with the regulations.

Khan said he supported the regulations, because TT was in a crisis situation.

He added he never thought people would not stop smoking in public areas or would put garbage in plastic bags, but they eventually complied, and he sees the same thing happening with the covid19 rules and regulations.

For those who say that human beings cannot be locked down indefinitely, Khan said, “If you cannot be locked down, go to jail.”

He complimented the Government for its action.

TT will join a list of countries which have made mask-wearing mandatory in the fight against covid19.

An August 17 Al Jazeera article said more than 50 countries now require people to cover their faces when they leave home. Venezuela, Jamaica and Cuba are among them. It added that Venezuela was among the first to do so.

It explained, “There have been a number of conflicting opinions on whether face masks can prevent the new coronavirus from transmitting from one person to another. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of medical masks for sick people, those with covid19 symptoms, health workers, people caring for suspected or confirmed cases, people aged 60 and over and those with underlying health conditions.

"Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water," the article quoted WHO as saying.

It added in countries such as the UK and Singapore people were urged not to wear masks in order to ensure enough supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers.