Lax attitude towards mask worrying

Many countries have signs like these to remind people to wear a mask in public areas as a basic preventive measure against Covid-19. — AP

The face mask is the first and last line of defence against Covid-19.

Sad to say, there are people who still do not wear masks or they wear them improperly in public spaces.

With daily cases soaring past the 25,000 mark, one would think that people would be more self-aware and adhere strictly to the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the government.

However, public perception of Covid-19 seems to have flipped, where some individuals are not taking the situation in Malaysia seriously.

Even though most have had the vaccine booster shot and the number of positive Covid-19 patients in Categories 3, 4 and 5 are fairly low, we should not take this Covid-19 pandemic lightly.

Last week, when I attended a media conference in Batu, Kuala Lumpur, one man came without wearing a mask and started conducting interviews.

He did this in front of a handful of people and other press members.

To give him the benefit of the doubt, he might have forgotten to wear a mask.

Someone might have advised him to put it on because after a while, he decided to mask up.

But before he did so, a random cyclist at the outdoor site – who was also without a mask – joined the press conference.

Perhaps the cyclist was not wearing one since he had been exercising.

Seeing both of them in the same public space prompted me to stay away from them as far as possible.

In such a situation, one has two choices – fight or flight. In my case, only my flight response was triggered.

We cannot be sure of the reason for not wearing a face mask – weather it is by choice or otherwise – and pointing out people’s failure to adhere to the SOP may result in a quarrel.

Remember the man who went berserk and hit people with a wooden stick after he refused to wear a face mask at a food court in Ipoh on Feb 4?

This was after a Good Samaritan reminded him to wear a mask, which eventually led to the commotion, something that I do not wish to happen.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its series of movement control order since 2020 have put such a fear in me that whenever I see someone without a mask in a public area I will move away.

Maybe it is just me, but I find that people are getting more and more lax in wearing their masks.

Social norm now dictates that whenever you are in a public area, you should mask up, with the exception of eating or exercising.

My understanding is that you should not remove your mask in public until you are about to eat or exercise.

Before your meal is served and after you have finished your meal, you should wear a mask.

Also, wearing your mask under the chin is not cool. It is a lackadaisical attitude that puts you at risk.

If the mask you are wearing is too thick and causes difficulty in breathing, find a brand that suits your needs.

For example, if I am going out just for a little while, I would wear a three- or four-ply mask as it is cheaper.

When I need to be out for long hours, I would opt for the KF94 or KN95 mask (the latter resembles a bird’s beak) as both create a little pocket between my mouth and the mask.

It is also to prevent skin irritation after wearing for long hours.

These masks provide good protection when worn properly and can greatly reduce infection risk.

Last year, a friend shared that a foreign worker at his factory tested positive for Covid-19 and more than 50 of them had to be quarantined.

Fortunately, other workers were not infected because their company had a strict policy about wearing masks.

To be honest, wearing a mask diligently is perhaps the easiest SOP that citizens should follow.

Like it or not, I believe we will all be required to continue wearing a mask in the foreseeable future.

Let us just mask up, protect ourselves and our loved ones and stop the virus from spreading.