In Praise of Masks

I’m not at all keen on Selfies, but this week’s Daily Mail headline, covering two thirds of its front page, “Let’s not return to face mask madness”, deserves some comment. As does the comment of Conservative MP Phillip Davies about the “control freak socialists at the UK Health and Security Agency”. All generated by mild comments by a senior person at the UKHSA that in the light of escalating rates of flu, Covid, colds and other respiratory infections that people might want to consider masks in crowded places and stay at home if they are ill.

Seeking to turn mask wearing into a political issue is ridiculous and completely wrong headed. For us, with J having low levels of immunity, masks are essential in indoor settings where there are people around. A first line of defence. What people generally choose to do is up to them, but dealing with infectious diseases effectively needs a rational discussion, not a lot of libertarian claptrap.

End of rant :-)

The very good news today is that after almost eight days J has been discharged from hospital. I am wearing a mask in this photo because we are waiting to depart from her “cubicle”, and on the other side of the door the ward has plenty of patients with flu and Covid.