Sir, – The most recent publication from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on Covid-19 states: “The use of facemasks in public may serve as a means of source control to reduce the spread of the infection in the community”. The US Centres for Disease Control goes one step further and recommends, “the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus”. Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 envoy, recently stated that, “People must get used to wearing masks in public”. This view, however, contradicts his own organisation’s official advice that “you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with Covid-19”. Finally, in its guidelines on Covid-19, the HSE position is: “Wearing a mask is unlikely to be of any benefit if you are not sick”.
What are we to believe given these contradictory messages from different world authorities? How can it be that during a global pandemic they cannot agree on such an important aspect of infection control? Surely the low fatality rate in some Asian countries, where mask-wearing is a given, is evidence enough that facemasks make a difference? Why did we not follow the example of Taiwan, which tasked its army to manufacture facemasks? As the debate drags on perhaps it is time for people to make up their own minds.
Indeed, throughout Ireland many people are making up their own minds. Frustrated with the Government’s position, volunteers in homes throughout the country are busy making and distributing cloth facemasks in their thousands to workers in care homes, direct provision centres and other essential services. Wearing homemade facemasks in public is becoming a common sight. The strategy here is to minimise asymptomatic spread and is logical and compassionate. When we wear facemasks we do so not to protect ourselves but to protect each other.
As we move towards easing the lockdown, wearing facemasks will become a critical tool in facilitating a return to some sort of normality and in preventing a second wave of infection. The HSE must review its position. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN DILLON,
Callan, Kilkenny.