It would be simplistic to state that the stigmatization of mask-wearing in the West, and the corresponding lag in Westerners adopting the practice, are responsible for the struggles to contain the coronavirus. But these factors do illustrate a number of the challenges—the failure to take the threat of pandemics seriously and prepare accordingly, the lack of social solidarity during public-health emergencies, the absence of comprehensive government containment strategies—that proved disastrous as the virus moved westward.
Is it because people will think you are a wimp? Because people will think you are ill? Africa 54 - November 11, VOA Africa Listen live. VOA Newscasts Latest program. VOA Newscasts. Previous Next. Ralph Jennings. Back to top. Years later, when the flu vaccine had been developed, the Japanese government said it was more important to get the shot than to wear a mask; even so, enthusiastic usage continued in the island country.
In China, the use of face masks against epidemics was practiced even earlier. In and , citizens were encouraged to wear masks to combat the pneumonic plague outbreak in Manchuria. Still, masks helped the country stave off more deaths. Just as with COVID, lockdowns and travel restrictions were implemented to lower the infection rate.
Mask-wearing became de rigueur, too, said Christos Lynteris , a senior lecturer in the department of social anthropology who studies epidemics at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The invention of the anti-epidemic mask was attributed to Dr.
Wu Lien-teh , a Cambridge-educated Chinese physician who led anti-plague operations on behalf of China in the region. The public health initiative was covered by the press across the globe, with photographs of mask-wearing plague fighters creating an international sensation. The mask itself became a symbol of medical modernity across East Asian countries, Lynteris said.
People don masks in the winter to protect themselves from the flu. They slip one on in the spring to stave off hay fever. The masks also provide protection from air pollution and reduce the spread of germs on crowded and poorly ventilated subways.
East Asians wear masks for their own health but principally out of respect for others. Facial expression is very important. Japanese trainee teachers he hosted at the U. Horii says the university explicitly advised them not to wear face masks when teaching at local schools. Perhaps nowhere in the world was hit as hard as Hong Kong, where almost died of the virus— accounting for over a third of official SARS fatalities worldwide.
But Man and others in the West are finding that wearing a masks represents can also draw unwanted attention, and even make them targets. And while most people in Hong Kong are masked up, there are outliers. Andy Chan, 29, says he thinks city-wide mask-wearing is fueling unnecessary panic.
People are being led by emotion, not science. Still, Charlotte Ho, a year-old stay-at-home mother in Hong Kong, represents the majority view.
It creates a barrier, so nothing can touch your nose and mouth. Write to Hillary Leung at hillary.
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