A policeman stopped us on Thursday morning and wanted to check whether everything about our commercial vehicle was in order.
There was nothing wrong after all. Everybody seemed to be minding their business with their nose masks on except an elderly who was not wearing his.
The policeman inquired why he was the only one without the mask. He responded: ” I have a nose mask and a face shield but I am not wearing because I can’t breathe well.”
I was on the back seat and said to myself, such a flimsy excuse! Will you ‘breathe well’ when you contract the disease and do not survive?
The officer immediately asked him to do the needful and he did. As soon as we left the junction, the man took the mask off again. I saw other passengers on board looking at him ‘suspiciously’.
Heading for my destination, I saw some hawkers who wore the nose masks but pulled it down to only cover their mouths. Here again, I wondered if all citizens knew the essence of the mask.
The mask, we are told, is meant to prevent the virus from entering our body through our mouth and nose. But it appears some people are still taking this precaution for granted and decide to wear the mask anyhow it pleases them.
In spite of the high incidence of COVID-19, sections of the public are still giving flimsy excuses why they cannot wear the nose mask. I wish to use your medium to draw attention to this once again.
Just as we are told, “the mask is a must.” People should not leave their homes without it. The mask is not for our bags or pockets. Let us wear it at all times, especially in crowded place. It is for our own good.