Ditching face masks is all about timing

Viewpoint

Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Credit: PA

July 06 2021 11:00 AM

Face masks will forever be regarded as the visible emblem of the coronavirus pandemic and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that they will no longer be legally required in England is the news that millions of people there have been waiting for. Freedom Day on July 19 now seems to be a reality within touching distance.

The face coverings were the most personal restriction and their removal will be welcomed by everyone who values autonomy, being able to make a choice without being legally compelled to do something.

Of course the Prime Minister is feeding into feelgood atmosphere engendered by the England football team’s progress in the Euros and undoubtedly hopes that the move towards a more normal lifestyle will make voters forget their misgivings over how the pandemic was handled in its early days and also the recent news of the marital problems of two of his most senior ministers.

But his own libertarian views also fed into the decision, although he has promised that he will continue to wear a face mask when in close contact with others.

That, he says, is simply good manners as indeed it is. Mask wearing served two purposes, protecting oneself and also others who may be infected by you.

It may be the case that the increased hygienic measures, including mask wearing, helped prevent many people contracting flu last winter which would have heaped even greater pressure on hospitals.

The question now is what will happen in Northern Ireland. The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Michael McBride, has warned that we are experiencing a fourth wave in the pandemic. It is now quite literally a race between getting more and more people vaccinated before the virus creates another health crisis.

The vaccination programme in the province has been hugely successful but it has not reached the point where we can definitively say it has broken the link between infection and hospitalisation. Greater numbers of young people are being encouraged to have the jab.

Caution continues to be the watchword. We should not slavishly follow England’s response but continue to be guided by the science. That is a message which can be unpalatable but it offers the greatest long-term gain.

We do not want to lose the gains which have been hard won and certainly don’t want any more lockdowns.

Ditching face masks is like letting the genie out of the bottle; we can never put it back in, so we must get the timing right.

Ditching face masks is all about timing

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