Don’t ditch masks

SIR – Adrian Waller (Letters, February 20) seems offended by requests to wear masks in shops.

I look forward to offending him, if we find ourselves in the same shop, as I will continue to wear my respiratorgrade mask while Covid rates are high, in order to minimise the risk to myself and others.

Without sanitation we would still be at unavoidable risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases every time we turned on our taps.

Without action and legislation following the discovery of the bacterium Legionella, we would still be at unavoidable risk of Legionnaires’ disease from water-cooling towers and spas.

In my view we have tolerated the risk of seasonal colds and flu for too long, and Covid is our wake-up call. It is time, not simply to return to normal, as is so often suggested, but to progress to a new normal, by introducing standards for indoor air quality which could significantly reduce the transmission of airborne disease in places where people are going about their lives.

Helena Windsor

Bletchingley, Surrey

SIR – The message given out by the requirement to wear masks on public transport and in other areas is that these are still dangerous places to be. Anyone feeling vulnerable may therefore conclude that the safest thing to do is stay away altogether.

I was pleased to read that Jet2 has understood this and removed the requirement to wear masks (report, March 3) – as a result of which we booked to fly with the airline that afternoon.

Bruce Carlin

Dewsbury, West Yorkshire