We have to put a stop to the mixed messaging... the Cabinet needs to mask-up and lead by their example
ONE of the hallmarks of the overall response to the Covid-19 virus, in this country, was to be seen in the clear and concise pronouncements from leading figures in the State apparatus, especially due to the excellent communication skills of former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan.
Comparisons have been made between how we fared very favourably compared to other countries such as the UK and the USA, where their leaders gave conflicting and ever-changing advice, leading to much confusion amongst the general population.
Yes, we didn’t get everything correct, especially concerning the response to pleas from the private nursing homes. But, by and large, the public generally felt that the authorities here were on top of the situation. And the public, in turn, responded almost in unison to the advice, sometimes even wanting more stringent restrictions.
However, one area where we have received mixed messages has been in regard to the wearing of face masks. The varying pronouncements of the benefits or otherwise of wearing masks have helped to confuse people.
Initially, our health experts were stressing that masks, used improperly, were actually a potential hazard as regards the fight against the virus.
They said that putting on and off masks could lead to individuals unnecessarily moving their hands up to their faces, increasing the possibility of infection. During the initial phases of the pandemic, Ireland seemed to be going against the flow.
Other countries were insisting that masks be worn in crowded public places, especially on public transport.
Precaution
During the lockdown, one day, when I was on the phone to a longtime friend in France, she told me that she had just been refused a cup of coffee in an outdoor beach cafe because she was not wearing a mask. At the time, I found it difficult to understand how advice could differ, country to country.
As time passed, our experts advised the public, especially at-risk groups, to wear masks in supermarkets and other similar indoor settings, as a precaution.
Now, they are making the wearing of masks obligatory. They maintain they are changing the nuances of their advice based on evolving research from the World Health Organisation.
That may very well be the case but the confusing messages given to the public is bound to lead to poor compliance.
One minute we are being told that they have little or no effect, and indeed, may even be a contributor to infection. Now, we are being told that they are a necessity.
I would have thought, given the experience of mask-wearing over the last few decades in countries such as China and South Korea, that we would have been given definitive direction, in this regard, from the start.
Over the years, we have tended to look askance at tourists from Asia coming to our shores wearing masks. And yet, they, obviously, realise the benefits of wearing masks, after having many epidemics in their area. Why did our experts not take a lead from their experience, especially given that they insist they are constantly monitoring international developments on pandemics?
So, from today, mask-wearing is compulsory on all public transport. Leaving aside the debate on the merits or otherwise of masks, this edict begs many questions. Especially, who will enforce the rule and what standard of mask is acceptable?
The unions involved with most of our public transport services are saying their members will not be enforcing the regulations. They quite correctly point to the awful case of suspected murder of a bus driver in Bayonne, in southwest France, last week, after he was attacked by some passengers who allegedly refused to wear masks on board his bus.
Hopefully, we will not get to that sorry stage here. Peer pressure has worked before when the smoking ban came in, and, hopefully, it will work again in this case.
But, is it any wonder that the public is confused. The messaging over mask-wearing has been all over the place.
Because of the conflicting advice, from the word go, we now have haphazard compliance over wearing face coverings.
The health authorities will counter this by saying that, initially, they were reluctant to promote mask-wearing for fear that stocks might run out for frontline workers. But, in the early stages, they could have pushed the idea of home-made masks much more.
Guidance
Nobody likes wearing them, but I have no doubt that had we got proper guidance from the start, the public would have embraced the need to wear them while out and about.
As the advice changed, towards the need for mask-wearing, we, also, could have received better example from those in authority.
I was struck by the almost universal non-wearing of masks by the members of the new Cabinet when they assembled recently in Dublin Castle to receive their seals of office from President Higgins. No one that I saw, apart from Attorney General Paul Gallagher, was wearing a mask. Of course, they will say that they were fully complying with physical distancing rules, but what better occasion for the new Government to make a statement as to the advisability of wearing masks. Lead by example!