Wearing of masks useless, unhealthy

THE EDITOR: I share with readers some thoughts on the continued practice of mask-wearing, especially in our schools and in places of worship, and make a plea on behalf of our children.

One would have thought that the heads of schools and places of worship (educated people) would be the ones to act more intelligently and take the lead in stopping a practice that is not only useless but also unhealthy. Where humans interact, it is vitally important that facial expressions be seen to determine proper responses.

Teachers need to observe their students’ expressions to understand if they are learning, and students need to respond properly by the look on the principal’s and teacher’s face, especially regarding discipline. Culpable students hide their outright disobedience behind the mask, and the student who accepts correction cannot show his willingness to learn.

Here is a common scenario in schools. A bully is approaching an unsuspecting student who cannot read the aggressive expression on the bully’s face. Too late he is pounced upon. We all know how important it is to read facial expressions.

And then there are the health reasons. We always learned that we breathe in oxygen and we breathe out carbon dioxide. Children who have smaller lungs and higher metabolism need to breathe freely. When they breathe out carbon dioxide much of it is trapped in the mask and reinhaled.

This is especially important in learning as the brain needs a constant supply of oxygen. Teachers know this. Doctors know this even more than the ordinary layman. But we have doctors appearing on television encouraging unhealthy mask-wearing.

Science, sometimes plain common sense, proves how absurd it is to try to prevent virus infection. Imagine a flea jumping through a large hoop. You need an electron microscope to view a virus. Imagine now a virus passing with the greatest ease through the pores of a mask. Masks will not prevent virus infection.

I am calling on scientists (any in Trinidad?), principals, teachers and other educators (any in the Ministry of Education?) to start being reasonable and stop the wearing of masks in schools.

Also, it pains me to see little children forced to wear masks in church. Imagine a pastor or priest standing ten-12 feet away from the nearest person and he wears a mask. What he doesn’t realise is that he is perpetuating an unnecessary fear.

Would someone please advise the church leaders? And would the Ministry of Education please make a definite ruling on the non-wearing of masks in schools following proven science?

ANTHONY AMIR ALI

Golconda