Commentary: Here’s why I’ll continue wearing masks on Singapore public transport

SINGAPORE: When Singapore announced this week that come Monday (Feb 13), we would no longer have to wear face masks on public transport, reactions online were split.

One camp is rejoicing and ready to throw away their masks while the other camp feels wary and will continue masking up on public transport.

I’m in the second camp but I can understand the joy of those in the first. Life feels like it’s finally returning to normal. Commuters will have the option to go maskless when it feels hot and stuffy on the bus or MRT, and they won't have to endure the hassle of pulling their mask on and off when boarding and alighting.

I’m all for people not wearing masks if they are feeling well, but I just don’t trust that everyone is socially responsible enough to mask up when they are unwell.

SOCIALLY IRRESPONSIBLE

Call me cynical but after three years of living in a pandemic, civic-minded behaviour isn’t as common as it should be and this has only been more apparent with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Singapore. Let me share a few anecdotes.

Recently, a friend, X, told me about a lunch gathering with friends. Her friend, Y, had just returned from overseas and was having a sore throat. But because she tested negative for COVID-19 with an ART kit, Y decided to attend the lunch.

Later at night, Y tested positive for COVID-19. X and a few other friends at the gathering soon came down with COVID-19 too. Y, knowing that she was unwell, should have refrained from attending the gathering.

Another friend was really miffed when her cousin brought along his coughing kids to a Chinese New Year gathering. A few days later, two elderly relatives who had sat beside the kids during dinner came down with a respiratory illness.

While my friend can’t say for sure that the old folks caught the germs from the coughing kids, the bottom line is that if her cousin was socially responsible, he would have kept his kids at home, or at the very least have them wear masks and keep their distance.

Over the past year or so, I've heard from both my primary school-going daughters about classmates who went to school despite being sick. And when Singapore’s mask mandate was removed, those still coughing and sniffing, yet to fully recover from their illness, were often seen without masks in school.

On several occasions, I also saw many with throaty coughs and severe sniffing out and about in public places unmasked.

I get it that there are times when one needs to be out even though one is unwell, but if that’s the case, at least wear a face mask. Haven’t we learnt from the pandemic?

I DON’T WANT YOUR GERMS

The problem is some people seem to have the mentality that when you’re sick, so long as it’s not COVID-19, it’s okay to not wear a mask and go about one’s usual activities. As if other germs and viruses don’t count.

A friend recently told me about a colleague who had joined them for a company lunch though he was having a cough. “Not COVID!” he informed his colleagues when he was asked if he was unwell.

But even if it’s just the flu, nobody likes to fall sick and be inconvenienced by illness. What’s more, they could go on to spread it to vulnerable family members at home. Take for instance the recent 55 cases of “acute respiratory symptoms” at Nanyang Primary School. Some tested positive for influenza and two students had to be hospitalised.

You’d think that after living in a pandemic for three years with constant reminders about staying safe, it’d be second nature for us to minimise social interactions, wear a mask and avoid crowded places when unwell. But it seems that Singapore has not gone the way of Japan and Taiwan, where the post-COVID norm is to wear face masks in public even without mandates.

Of course, there are people who do their part. I have friends who would decline to meet up because they have a cold or been in close proximity with someone who just caught COVID-19. I also know those who will wear masks when visiting elderly loved ones just to be safe.

But for every responsible person, there’s probably another irresponsible one who ruins it for everyone else. So for now, I’m keeping my mask on in public transport and crowded places.

Vivian Teo is a freelance writer and children’s book author. She is also a mother-of-two who blogs on her parenting and lifestyle website.