Preventing #COVID Spread
?#Prevention is infinitely preferred to #cure.
The announced spike in cases in the news came literally home when I tested #COVID positive earlier this week Despite wearing a mask in crowded places and certainly on public transport.
Unfortunately and conversely, I've witnessed many unwell who do not wear a mask, and believe you have too. Many a time, I’ve witnessed with horror coughers and sneezers seen from a distance disappearing into a crowd.
Where possible, I have offered these a mask to put on, so their sneezing and coughing may not spread whatever illness they carry into confined spaces.
Whilst we wait the genesis of civic-consciousness, there can be measures still to prevent more infections, more variants, lives disrupted (even lost) and avoiding the economic impact on the individual, organisations and on society should infection levels rise. There will be a reduced strain on the healthcare system for sure.
Whilst the costs of being ill are incalculable and mostly untold, the cost of prevention may be as little as that of putting on a face mask if unwell.?
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Anyone who is sick in public should be encouraged to put on a mask as the negative externalities are far too predictable and too great. And if they refuse? Whilst the law does not now require such (it would be challenging to enforce mask-wearing Only for the ill), at least the solution has been offered to do no harm to the innocent public by offering them a mask. In my experience however, every sick person I offered the mask to accepted it and put it on, even gratefully so.?Of course there is no need to be upset in such cases when handing out the mask (which I show is hygienic, taken from a sealed bag), but to be compassionate ; noone wants to be sick after all. (Isn't it ironic). And if one were unwell, it might be hard to refuse wearing a mask given out by a concerned uniformed officer perhaps.
Front line staff working in public transport, venues, bars, hotels, restaurants, malls, gas stations, events - anywhere there is a crowd - could help pass out masks to those who need them. ?Public service announcements and visual aids at such venues could remind everyone to play their part and not be complacent, especially as there are always the more vulnerable amongst us. Existing volunteer groups like the Citizens on Patrol in Singapore could help with this too in more public spaces. This would statistically reduce the spread of illness. For businesses and organisations depending on crowds, this is the responsible and clever thing to do, to help keep the crowd safe.
Whilst nothing bests self-responsibility in either self-isolating?or wearing a mask till well, such collective effects suggested above encouraged by the Ministry of Health (Singapore) , Ministry of Transport, Singapore , Ministry of Home Affairs Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board would prevent the spread of illness and even lead to a rise in civic-consciousness for the long term in #Singapore.
Whilst the cause may be multifarious, the spike in cases implies more collective efforts to prevent more #COVID cases. With more to gain and little to lose, let’s do what we can collectively to fight this unseen airborne enemy. Even for those who are vaccinated and have been infected, we know the virus can pack a real punch; for those who are vulnerable, it may well be their last.