‘Mask up’ to protect others – it’s not hard

JUST recently we needed to visit a university city, and as usual we had to “mask up” to use public transport. This was not a problem, for us at least. We wandered the streets looking for our place to stay, noting the outstanding history of our surroundings, and could not help but notice certain differentials between our home town and our present location.

The buses were clean, tidy, on time, with hand sanitisers on board and polite, very helpful drivers who insisted passengers who were not exempt wore face coverings.

The city itself was lacking in graffiti, dogs poo, rubbish and potholes. Even the council lorries were all electric, and road sweepers were frequently seen at work – if one town council can do it, why not ours?

Even the pavements were a pleasure to walk on – with one exception, that is. Students, or those of a similar age.

I may sound like an old grump, but why is it these youngsters seem to think that they are beyond the law and the risk of infection, why unless they are exempt, are they not wearing masks? Crowds of them gather together in large groups adjacent to others; larking about, demonstrating about this and that, and partying into the night.

I don’t want to be a killjoy, but our niece works among students elsewhere and fears for her own safety and that of her family.

These youngsters surely must have families at home, and some of them most likely are medical students – are they not aware of the risk of infection?

Nobody, but nobody, is beyond this virus, it is a full on war and we have to win it. What is wrong with them? We are in the midst of a second strike and I for one have come to the conclusion that this sort of behaviour most certainly is not going to help our cause.

We don’t have to suffer the disease ourselves, but like some others, we can be carriers of it, passing it on to the more susceptible.

None of us like wearing masks, so could those who are intelligent enough to attend university think of our futures, mask up, and follow the rules before this virus takes an even greater hold on our lives?

Not too difficult, is it?

Patricia Goldfinch

Address supplied