Wearing a mask is simple, easy and unselfish. So why wouldn't you?
When we were in the very thick of lockdown, I spoke to one of my best friends who has lived in Hong Kong for some years now. I was, quite naively, talking to her about it all as though she too was in lockdown. It is a global pandemic, after all.
After listening to me list the reasons why lockdown was necessary but very stressful, she stopped me and said: “Oh. I’ve been going to work. Loads of places are open. Things aren’t like that here.” Reeling, I asked what she meant. “Well, we all just wear masks over here. Like, all the time. It’s just commonplace.” She told me, with a shrug.
Masks! To contain and prevent the spread of illness! So simple. So easy. So unselfish. But it’s not like we didn’t know that already, is it? I am, of course, wearing a mask in the places that it’s required. Why wouldn’t I? Yes, it’s a bit uncomfortable and if you’re wearing lip balm it sort of gets all over it, but having seen what some medical staff have to wear, we really can’t complain. I have seen one too many selfies of mask-free people in supermarkets, and I worry that sometimes we forget about doing things for the collective good. So please, I implore you. Don’t be one of those people.
