Voices: I’d rather wear a ‘virtue-signalling’ mask than be selfish without one

I don’t know about you, but I’m quite keen on the return of what’s been called the “dystopian madness” of people wearing face coverings in enclosed and crowded spaces.

If that’s what the country’s health experts recommend, and it seems reasonable, then why not? You never know, it might take the pressure off the NHS at a time of acute strain, and save a few lives into the bargain.

There are at least three contagious viruses going around at the moment, with that new strain of the coronavirus starting to make its presence felt – XBB.1.5 – and we’re going to need a catchier name for that little rascal.

Face coverings are not going to be compulsory, though there is a case for making them a condition of travel on public transport, which tend to be transmission tunnels for viruses. Certainly, hospitals and GP surgeries should enforce the practice – being so very busy at the moment. But we can surely debate such matters on a pragmatic basis, can’t we? The trade-off between public health and private liberty?

If things get worse for the NHS and there are too many people suffering from Covid, the flu, colds and the RSV, then we might return to mask-wearing until the spike passes, as they usually do in the spring. Really, you know, what is there not to like about something that can do so much good for so little personal inconvenience?

Being a forgetful type, I’d be the first to concede that it’s a faff to remember to carry one with you or put it on but, with rare medical exemptions, they don’t hurt you and they don’t disfigure. They’re not nice in the sense that it’s harder to read people’s faces or hear them sometimes, and flirting is virtually impossible, but, as I say, these seem minor concessions for the greater good.

And do not forget that the principal benefit of the mask is not for the wearer but for those around them. As the old slogan goes, “coughs and sneezes spread diseases” – a saying that dates back to an American campaign against the deadly “Spanish flu” a century ago. (The virus actually originated in America, as it happens.) Some dismiss wearing a mask as “virtue signalling”, as if concern for others were always bogus or a sign of some sort of personality defect; to which I can only say I prefer it to signalling selfishness.

The most tiresome objection to the reintroduction of masks is that “they don’t work”. This is very weak. Obviously it depends on the mask type and the way they’re fitted – wearing it like a neckerchief isn’t much use. But it stands to reason that if even a small proportion of an airborne virus is rendered harmless by a mask, then that’s one less case of potentially severe illness.

The best N95 masks are fairly effective, but all work to some degree. How do I know this? Because, unfashionable as it seems to be, I trust what the scientists tell us. This, for example, is the conclusion of a survey of studies on the effectiveness of face coverings by the UK Health Security Agency published in 2021. The expert panel stated, and I’m including their caution here: “The current evidence on face coverings suggests that all types of face coverings are, to some extent, effective in reducing transmission of Sars-CoV-2 in both healthcare and community settings.

“N95 respirators are likely to be the most effective, followed by surgical masks and then non-medical masks, although optimised non-medical masks made of two or three layers might have similar filtration efficiency to surgical masks. The evidence specific to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is still limited and does not allow for firm conclusions to be drawn for specific settings and type of face coverings.”

That’s good enough for me. It’s going to be a little embarrassing, to be the first in a shop or a train to put one of these things on again, but we got used to it in the pandemic and we shall get used to it again. Soon it won’t seem strange after all, and it’s part of doing one’s bit.

I recall on my occasional trips to China, Korea and Japan a few years ago, pre-pandemic, how odd it was that so many people had “hospital” masks on as they were walking down the street. There was that bird flu around but I thought they were mad, actors in a “dystopian” world indeed. Now I know they were just being public spirited, well mannered if you like. It is to be commended.