At first we are locked down, placed under effective house arrest. On Government orders, we are not to see our families or friends; we are isolated from almost all human contact, unable to privately share views and opinions with others. Our contacts are mainly via electronic means; which means everything we say is potentially monitored. If we express an opinion on social media, or comment on newspaper articles, and if our opinions and thoughts do not meet with ‘official’ approval there is a high probability that our conversations, videos, etc. will be blocked or removed, and our accounts cancelled. In public places we are to remain at least 2 metres apart (socially distanced) a very effective discouragement to private conversation.
We were told by officialdom at the beginning of the “crisis” that face masks are ineffective at preventing the spread of CV19; which does make a lot of sense, I am reliably informed that the dimensions of the ‘virus’ are in the range of 10 to 50 nano-metres (very small) far too small to be blocked by a home made face mask, scarf etc. A quality dust filter will capture partials down to about 10 micro-meters in size, 500 to a 1000 times larger than the ‘virus’, and that filter will require regular cleaning or replacement. Try breathing, in and out, through a fine paper dust filter – you won’t for very long before passing out; the shear effort required to breath will be too great to sustain life for very long.
At about 5 o’clock on Friday the 5th June 2020, we were told from the Government’s daily briefing to the nation, from the 15th of June 2020 more retail outlets were to be permitted to re-open. THEN we were told that from the same date the wearing of face masks on ALL public transport was to be compulsory, backed up with £80 ‘fines’. An army of volunteers, together with public transport staff are to enforce the wearing of face masks. We were also told that the public are NOT to use professional grade NHS face masks (even these will not prevent the transmission of the ‘virus’), but we are to make our own out of anything available, a scarf can be used as a face mask.
Wow! Why the sudden change in official advice concerning face masks? Here’s a clue: two people wrap a woolly scarf, or any home fashioned piece of cloth around you faces; now try and hold a conversation, a conversation consisting of more than a brief grunt, a “hello”, “thank you”, etc. It will not be long before the conversation ceases because of the shear discomfort of having pieces of fibre entering your mouth, and the home made face mask becoming uncomfortably wet and messy.
Are we seeing a pattern of policy here? I suspect the compulsory wearing of home made face masks on crowded hot public transport has more to do with preventing meaningful and fruitful conversation than the prevention of the spreading of the ‘virus’. Are we quite literally being gagged? What are ‘they’ afraid of? Answers via officially monitored electronic communications only please.
On a very practical note: What about hay fever sufferers, it’s very bad this year. Will a face mask rapidly become a soggy mucus-laden mess, a fertile ground for any virus to rapidly breed and spread. But then, Mr Matthew Hancock should be aware of that, he is the Health Secretary.
|