Face masks: a mirror of humanity in Asia

Описание: (25 Jul 2020) House keys, wallet or purse, mobile phone and .... oh, yes: face mask.
Reluctantly for many, but also inexorably in the face of a deadly invisible enemy, small rectangles of flimsy yet life-saving tissue have in mere months joined the list of don't-leave-home-without-them items for billions around the world.
Not since humans invented shoes or underwear has a single item of dress caught on so widely and quickly from Melbourne to Mexico City, Beijing to Bordeaux, spanning borders, cultures, generations and sexes with almost the same Earth-shaking speed as the coronavirus that has killed more than 600,000 and infected more than 15 million.
As such, like other human habits, the mask has become a mirror on humanity.
That so many people, with varying degrees of zeal, have adapted to the discomfort of masking their airways and facial expressions is powerful medicine for the belief that people are fundamentally caring, capable of sacrifice for the common good.
Yet also apparent from outbreaks of fierce resistance to masks, especially in democracies, is this: Plenty of people don't like being told what to do and distrust the scientific evidence that masks curb contamination.
Ever since the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, Prem Pal, a 59-year-old security supervisor at a gated residential complex of New Delhi has been advising people to wear a mask properly.
Even after four months of the pandemic, she said there are people who need to be reminded to wear masks properly.
"Some people only cover their mouth and not their nose, we advise them that it's important to keep the nose covered as not covering it can be even more dangerous," Prem Pal said.
It's a big challenge for the government authorities to bring down the numbers of COVID-19 cases in a city of 20 million.
Wearing masks in public places was mandated by the city government and those who are found violating it are expected to pay a fine of 500 rupees (a little more than USD $6 for first-time offence).
Masks have been de rigueur in Hong Kong since January.
The government has just made regulations for people to wear face masks in public places, but even without government rules, the vast majority of Hong Kong people have been wearing them for months.
    
In the first weeks of reaction to the new virus, in late January and early February, huge queues formed as people panicked about being able to buy masks.
    
The availability and price of standard surgical face masks in Hong Kong has settled since then.
But Hong Kong is just experiencing an uncomfortable spike in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, resulting in renewed social-distancing measures, but still not yet a complete lockdown.
It has become the new normal now to see Thai commuters all wearing face masks while using Bangkok's Skytrain service system.
Thailand is one of the many Asian countries that adopted mask wearing as a preventive measure early on since the outbreak began.
Masks are required in order to ride public transportation in Thailand.
People entering government offices, schools, parks and other public spaces, are also required to wear face masks at all times.
Thailand continues to ease its coronavirus restrictions; with schools open and domestic travels encouraged, as the country continues to see no local transmission of COVID-19 for almost two months.
Wearing masks is common in Japan as a protection for flu in the winter or pollen allergy, but this year, due to the widespread of COVID-19 many are seen wearing them as precaution.
But supplies of masks as well as disinfectant sprays have recently begun to restock in stores.

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