by Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
In Washington state, the mask order will be lifted on March 21, one of the last states to do so. Is this bad news or good news?
For millions, it will be a relief. Some say, “I can’t wait.” Those who oppose wearing masks may say they finally have their freedom back, and they may even attribute it to their tireless fight over the requirement to wear masks.
Let’s put politics aside. I know we are all sick of viruses. Covid, you want this nightmare to go away. You want it to end and move on with your life. Therefore, not wearing a mask symbolizes that you are free from this disease and usher in a new beginning in the Year of the Tiger.
Feel the same, I am with you. Seriously, I’m not by your side.
Whether or not you plan to wear a mask after the mission is over, the truth is that even though infections and deaths have been falling, the pandemic is still there. Covid is not over yet. No one knows if there will be another new variant, or if the current variant will continue to exist. Even if you have the vaccine and booster, you can get infected, although the effects will be much milder and may not require hospitalization.
If you contract the coronavirus and are not vaccinated, you could die at 52 like Washington State Senator Doug Erickson. For those who have recovered, their immune systems will never be the same again. According to an article in The New York Times, patients with chronic Covid-19 experience persistent fatigue, memory loss, and muscle and joint pain.
If you’ve been vaccinated and boosted, no matter how mild your condition is, you’ll still need to be confined and quarantined for a few days. During that time, it was not only you who suffered, but also your relatives, because they wanted to take care of you and could not be near you for fear of infection. Is this a risk you want to take? Anything you do will have consequences.
Recently, science has made new inventions. If you do get sick, you don’t have to die because there is an expensive drug, Paxlovid, developed by Pfizer, that studies show can reduce hospitalizations and deaths. Each course costs the US government $530. According to goodrx.com, it has side effects, including diarrhea.
Even if I don’t pay for the treatment, I don’t want to suffer the side effects of the coronavirus and powerful drugs. So don’t expect me to lift the mask on March 21st. I will continue to wear a mask in public in crowds. It’s only when I venture out to parks, forests, and waters, and sometimes dine in restaurants, that I lift my mask. I would eat without a mask, but would wear a mask soon after eating.
There are benefits to wearing a mask. My hay fever has gone away for the past 2 years and probably this year too. No more pollen got into my nose. My husband noticed that some of the symptoms he had experienced in the past, like colds, had sometimes gone away.
With masks, we can protect ourselves from all kinds of germs, not just the coronavirus. In winter, the mask actually prevents my face from getting cold and dry. It protects our skin. This is a skin care mechanism.
An unexpected bonus is that I don’t have to wear makeup anymore. The logic is simple: no one can see me. So why do it? I save a lot of time. Money too. I’m used to seeing the real me in the mirror. Vanity suddenly became an unfamiliar word. I feel free.
When I go out to dinner with friends, I wear makeup because I have to take off my mask. The makeup process will be more therapeutic. I imagined myself as an artist transforming an aged face into an energetic woman. It’s a weird thing during Covid – I need to break out of certain routines and reinvent myself every now and then to keep my sanity. Cosmetics seem to do the trick.
There is a silver lining to masks. Masks are here to stay. No one would take it as strange or a sign of weakness as before. People don’t laugh at Asian Americans who wear masks. This was the only protection in many Asian countries during SARS and Covid. Now, we understand that it is for life and death, for self-preservation, for the protection of others. Ironically, it would take a pandemic and a tragedy of millions of deaths and infections, as well as several scientific studies, to convince people that masks are an effective medical tool.
Only Hawaii has yet to set a date for the revelations. It may never set a reveal date for indoor gatherings. I know some fools who are against wearing masks make fun of people who wear masks. But don’t be afraid to be teased. Stand firm on your principles of safety and protection because you are selfless. Your health is important. Wear a mask, especially if you are sick or feel uncomfortable with those around you. Those bullied fools have nothing to do with me. My concern is for their children. I pray they are okay and survive the stupidity of their parents.
Who might have the last laugh? Probably Hawaii and its people.
Assunta can reach assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
