I WAS sitting on the concourse at Newark airport on February 22 this year, waiting for my flight home from New York when I noticed the woman in the photo.
Normally, I’d never dream of photographing someone without permission, but I was sure this woman’s identity was secure as her mother wouldn’t have recognised her.
I took the photo as I thought it strange to be wearing both a mask and wraparound glasses. In hindsight, she was ahead of the curve, considering the Covid-19 virus was already coursing throughout New York.
Five months later, with Covid numbers once again on the rise in Northern Ireland, it’s ridiculous we’re arguing about face masks. We know wearing a mask can mitigate the risk of passing on Covid, so what’s the problem?
With strong leadership desperately needed, our politicians dithered. Initially, they announced face masks weren’t needed, then said we should wear them but that it wouldn’t be mandatory, finally making them mandatory but without specifying who’s going to enforce that directive.
Not that this will surprise anyone following the confusing and conflicting messages from both Westminster and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Two months ago, I did a skit on social media about face masks, predicting that "face masks will become compulsory, though it may take two weeks or two months, as that’s how long it takes this government to catch up with best practice".
Real leadership has come from institutions such as Belfast Royal Academy which announced all pupils and staff must wear face masks. The vast majority of people will wear a face mask, a few will have genuine medical reasons not to; other malcontents will belligerently refuse to do so, spouting a litany of excuses.
So, let’s debunk two common myths. Wearing a facemask restricts your ability to breathe: wrong. Intensive care doctor Tom Lawton jogged 22 miles to work and home wearing a mask while testing his oxygen intake – it remained at 98 per cent throughout.
There’s an absence of scientific proof that face masks cut down on transmission: wrong. A World Health Organisation study proved wearing a mask, along with other measures, could cut down Covid transmission by up to 85 per cent.
I’m not going to bother refuting the never-ending list of conspiracy theories around face masks, as those who believe the royal family are lizards, Elvis is alive and Area 51 is populated by aliens aren’t likely to listen to reason. Finally, to those who argue that wearing a face mask impinges on their personal liberty, I say my right to life trumps your right to be a selfish idiot.
While the internet has democratised our access to information, it’s a baffling paradox that not since the Dark Ages has so much nonsense permeated society. We seem more inclined to believe the conspiracy than fact, and this trend is growing.
The Centre for Countering Digital Hate noted a dramatic rise in the popularity of anti-vaccine social media pages and channels, with 7.7 million more social media users following such accounts since the outbreak of coronavirus.
Each advance in virology is met by push-back from a minority known as the anti-vax lobby, mainly parents who refuse to allow their children to be vaccinated against diseases such as chickenpox, measles and whooping cough.
At a time of pandemic, the anti-vax movement poses a serious threat, with a recent UK survey indicating almost a third wouldn’t take a Covid vaccine if offered. Considering scientists estimate an uptake by three quarters of the population is needed for the vaccine to be effective, the danger of such madness is clear.
Those who reject a vaccine may find themselves isolated both figuratively and literally, as society has a right to protect itself from such lunacy, and a historical precedent exists in the story of an Irish woman known as 'Typhoid Mary'.
Mary Mallon was born in Cookstown and emigrated to the US in 1884, where she worked as a cook for affluent families. Probably born with typhoid after her mother was infected during pregnancy, Mary, while exhibiting no symptoms, infected up to 53 people with the disease before being identified as the carrier.
Quarantined on North Brother Island in New York for three years, she refused to accept her diagnosis and once released, flouted restrictions, infecting others. Sound familiar?
She was returned to North Brother Island where she remained until her death, 23 years later.
So, unless the idea of island life appeals to you, my advice is to wash your hands, download the Track and Trace app, maintain a social distance, take any vaccine offered, and, in the meantime, wear your bloody mask.
