Letter to the Editor – Face Masks

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Dear Editor,

In comparison with what we hear about communities in other places (mostly far away), North Grenville residents and businesses can be praised for being mask-compliant. But I do see a lot of masks that do not fit properly, and this concerns me! I figure at least 50% of the in and out breaths that escape easily around the edges of the masks of many of our obedient mask-wearers… as if the masks are a “gesture” or a way of “masking” the true intentions of the wearers, which is to breathe as easily as possible while still appearing masked. Silly, thoughtless people – I’m astonished at how few of us put two and two together! As if the virus will veer away as it “sees” someone with a mask, and go around the person rather than being sucked in around the edges!

…and I wonder if the “new variant” of COVID may be better able to survive drying out, so that fine particles remain viable for longer, circulating around in indoor air currents, rather than “falling to the floor” as larger droplets are said to do. Many months ago we were told that the original COVID virus particles are able to float around indoors for hours!

One would expect to see lots of powerful HEPA and ultraviolet air filter units in every indoor public space, especially grocery stores and schools. As well as having their indoor air cleaned, people should also still be wearing masks – and educated in how to wear them effectively.

Too bad everyone thinks that the cheap, disposable blue surgical masks are protective! They were not designed to protect the wearer, but only to protect others from the wearer. They are called “surgical masks” designed to be worn by medical personnel to protect patients from most of the aerosol particles and all of the larger droplets that the doctor or nurse might shed – they certainly DO NOT protect the wearer from breathing in microscopic (dust-like) airborne particles, as the nose wire does not fit snugly, and the pleated sides gape at the cheek. I’ve seen so many people repeatedly pull their colourful cloth masks back up onto their noses while talking. If the mask fits loosely enough to slip down like that, it is not snug enough!

With the threat of the new variant, the whole issue of mask effectiveness should be revisited by medical researchers so that government agencies can enforce (or at least recommend) effective mask designs and how they should be fitted/worn.

Better still, we need to have people reasoning for themselves – thinking about how the virus gets around, and acting accordingly! Our Premier keeps saying “Stay Home!” But when you’re out for essential activities, like grocery shopping, you have to take precautions equivalent to staying home…. No viruses should be able to get into your nose or mouth. None!

Aleta Karstad,
Bishops Mills

1 COMMENT

  1. Thank you for your letter Alita.
    Please email and call your mp and mpp and ask them why there has been no effort to manufacture and deploy the P100 respirator mask, a commonly available industrial mask. This mask provides effectively 100% protection against the covid virus. It is inexpensive to produce at approximately $50 and the technology is available in Canada. It is easy to clean and can be used almost indefinitely in low dust environments. It would stop this virus if all Canadians had access to one. The cost for 40 million masks would be approximately $2 billion, a tiny fraction of the amounts being spent. I wrote to mpp Steve Clark’s office in april concerning the need to manufacture and deploy this highly effective mask.

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