FACE MASKS TO PROTECT US

It was in 1940s. I was a school kid. My parents had a cow and a calf to meet the requirement of milk and milk-products for my family. The calf was a beautiful little cow. I played with it fondly. The calf unfortunately used to eat the soil. So my mother made a basket out of Palmyra leaf to cover the mouth and nose of the calf like the masks we all wear today in 2020! What we use today as face mask is for protecting us from the spread of coronavirus. It appears the virus enters through our month and nose. What about the eyes? I still do not know whether the virus cannot enter through our eyes. Nowadays we are not allowed to go out without wearing face masks. If we fail to wear one then we are fined sometimes our vehicle is confisticated and a case is filed. It is the government order strictly implemented by the police force, the front-line warriors. I too have one of these masks that was bought by my son some months ago. It was used then against dust. Those who had dust allergy usually wear such face masks. Nowadays it’s mainly for the coronavirus problem. Men, women, children are advised to wear face masks whenever they go out of house.

It’s said that the droplets carrying coronavirus entry into the body is prevented by the face masks. Similarly the exit of the virus through sneezing or coughing is also prevented by the face masks. Such masks are worn by almost all human beings across the world. In the month of March 2020 there was a severe shortage of face masks. Various countries produced large quantities of face masks for export. Home-made masks were also used by many people. Even hand kerchief was used to cover the mouth and nose. Thus the shortage of masks was met with within a short period.

We see various varieties of face masks. Some of them are used by the frontline workers like the doctors and nurses in the hospital. N95 face mask is one of those. 

 It is costly as compared to the other type of masks made out of cloth or plastic. Generally the ordinary masks cost Rs. 100/- per piece. They are supplied free by many NGOs and political parties. There are disposable and reusable face masks too. Disposable ones are commonly used by health workers. Reusable ones are washed and used by others.

 The dress designers have designed face masks to match the dress in various sizes, models, patterns and colors. We have a wide choice to go for a face mask. I saw an advertisement showing a matching face mask with the bikini of a woman. So in future we expect a roaring business for face masks across the globe designed by the fashion world.

One specific thing I noticed after wearing the mask is that the face mask surely masks our face. Sometimes it is difficult to identify our own friends who are known to us for years. Moreover, free breathing is prevented by the masks. Also speaking with a mask on is not easy. It is difficult sometimes to hear what a masked person talks. Covering one’s mouth and nose (as the calf mentioned earlier) looks little bit odd today. But over time people will be adapted to it. All students and teachers going to schools and colleges, office-goers, shop owners and their staff – everyone on earth are going to wear face masks. It may lead to a real social distancing mentally too. It may be good on the one hand whereas it may be bad for our relationships with other human beings. Since we have to learn to live with conoravirus indefinitely (?) we have to live with our face masks too! - NARA