Letter: Singaporeans, Face It: We’re Still Not Wearing Our Masks Properly

Proper Mask-Wearing A Must For Both Young & Old

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Since 14 June 2021, the Ministry of Health has urged us to wear masks with good filtration capability, including reusable masks with at least two fabric layers, and surgical masks that form a good seal around the nose and mouth.

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Now that we’re on heightened alert against new Covid-19 strains that spread more easily, it’s more crucial than ever to wear high-quality masks.

But first, take a moment to look around your neighbourhood the next time you step out of the house to dabao lunch.

A year and a half into the pandemic, people are still not wearing their masks properly.

You’ll see the elderly squatting by the roadside, chatting with their buddies, masks pulled down.

Drivers who forget to mask up after stepping out of the car, then milling around parking lots.

Students old enough to worry about the PSLE failing to pull their masks back up after sipping bubble tea.

Full-grown adults with their masks slowly slipping down their noses – or even pulling their masks down to talk loudly on their phones!

If people aren’t wearing masks properly, how can they be expected to wear better masks?

We frown upon alleged violators of our masking laws such as the ‘sovereign’ lady and the ‘badge’ lady who’ve been made infamous on social media, but many more Singaporeans who risk the health of themselves and others have quietly slipped our notice.

With our limited manpower resources, we can’t keep blaming the authorities for not nabbing everyone who risks spreading the pandemic.

The onus is on each one of us to mask up properly, and to remind those beside us to do so too.

Checking that your mask fits well should become second nature — just like putting on underwear before leaving the house.

We can’t rely on the law alone to beat the virus. We have to rely on ourselves — each and every Singaporean son and daughter.

Yours sincerely,
Krystal Ng

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Featured image adapted from TheSmartLocal.