Is the Mask here to Stay?

Good morning, my name is Avika Grover and today I’ll be speaking on the topic
“Is the Mask here to Stay?”. In the spring of 2020 when the covid-19 pandemic started,
governments of countries around the world started instituting mask mandates. The idea
of wearing masks everywhere you go like during a quick trip to the grocery store felt
very strange. Most people didn’t even own a mask let alone wear one every day.
However, now about a year and a half later, masks have become routine and pervasive.
People who knew nothing about masks have become experts in its working, for
example, they now know that a mask is only effective if it covers both the nose and the
mouth and that protection can be maximised by wearing two masks instead of just one.

Even though masks have been assimilated into our daily lives, many are eagerly waiting
for the day they can throw their masks in the trash and never use them again. But I
personally feel masks are here to stay and that isn’t such a bad thing. After all, masks
can provide protection from a range of threats that will certainly outlast and outlive the
ongoing Covid-19 pandemic including seasonal colds, flu and pollution. However, mask
wearing as is in the present will be different in the future. Mask usage will become
selective. Instead of wearing one everyday, one would wear it in certain places or during
times of the year when they are more vulnerable to pathogens and pollutants. For
example, when the pollution levels are alarmingly high or during flu season, masks will
be more common on public transport and in airports than in restaurants and grocery
stores. In conclusion I want to say that masks are here to stay and that isn’t such a bad
thing.

Thank you.