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Long Read. 1326 words.
Having recently returned from Queensland, where life felt blessedly normal with very few masks in evidence, it was something of a shock to return here to the continuation of the mask-erade.
At a dinner to catch up with three friends. “No way am I going to get Covid,” one pronounced, removing the mask she had worn in the car and into the restaurant, then placing it on the table. As did the other two. So we had three visibly filthy masks lying on the table within a fork’s distance of our meals. You have to wonder.
The behaviour of staff behind the bar was appalling, with two masked barmen stuffing their faces with food around their masks while continuing to serve. Disgusting. If that is the best the struggling hospitality catch up industry can serve up, then they do not deserve support and custom. And yet here they all were, supposedly obeying the edicts from on high.
And people are still seen wearing masks inside their cars, alone. How paranoid must they be to be terrified of themselves? And for a tutorial on how to affix your mask, there can be no better tutor than The Honourable Grant Robertson, who I assume wears his over his eyes. He certainly doesn’t seem to be able to see what is going on with the economy that he and this lot have tanked. He also seems to have no plan to stop the perilous descent into poverty caused by the inflationary effect of printing money and throwing it around with gay abandon. No doubt he will continue to blame the war and Covid, and he and the PM, who specialises in dodgy handshakes in Japan, will continue to blame everything and everyone else without once looking in the mirror.
And now “The Ministry of Health will from the end of May begin issuing new “legally recognised” mask exemption cards to remove uncertainty about who has a legitimate reason not to wear one.”
“COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday said the new cards will provide evidence that a person is exempt from the requirement to wear a mask, removing the uncertainty that businesses have been dealing with.”
Ministry of Health to issue new ‘legally recognised’ mask exemption cards (msn.com)
I have a Ministry issued mask exemption. I applied with reasons for the exemption, it was issued – and yet it is now deemed to be illegal and in order to comply an exemption must be “personalised”.
The new cards will replace the current ones that are not legally recognised. Until now, anyone could exempt themselves from wearing a mask, which Hipkins recognised has led to implications for the likes of retailers trying to enforce the rules.
“Sadly, in attempting to verify whether people are genuinely exempt, workers – especially those in retail settings such as supermarkets – have experienced escalating and unsafe behaviour from some customers”, Hipkins said.
So let’s get this straight. A previous application and Ministry-endorsed and supplied exemption with government-printed exemption card is illegal? I didn’t exempt myself. The Ministry exempted me. I show my exemption card whenever it is required. I have not demonstrated any “escalating and unsafe behaviour”. I have at all times been respectful to those who have asked about my lack of mask.
This is yet another method of identification by this treacherous government. Another loss of personal freedom. Another gain for the lefty luvvies who for some reason enjoy being branded and identified. If the government’s current exemption system isn’t working, then whose fault is that? Why didn’t they get it right the first time? A rhetorical question, as they get nothing right – ever.
And the pink person, once again in the media and telling us, “It is time for NZ to strengthen our mask game.” She warns about the perils of superspreading events and new variants.
“…simulations also show that if these variants meet a super-spreading event, they are much more likely to gain a foothold in the community. That means reducing super-spreading events should help delay or even prevent the emergence of at least some new variants of concern.”
Covid-19: Time for NZ to strengthen our mask game | Stuff.co.nz
So which superspreader events are these exactly, Ms Wiles? Has there been a single “superspreader event” throughout this whole silly saga? Name one. Please do. Surely then an excellent idea to again preach to us about wearing masks. She is now all for us moving to the respirator versions. “The better the mask and fit, the bigger the reduction. That’s why we should all be upgrading to respirator-type masks.”
She also says, “We should be normalising the wearing of masks and bringing in guidance and standards for ventilation to make indoor venues safer for all of us, not just those who’ve recently had Covid-19 and feel invincible.” She sees herself as a saviour, to correct and inform where others, less able than she, of course, are found wanting.
“Unfortunately, Covid response minister Chris Hipkins missed his chance to properly explain, so let me. Again.”
https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/14-04-2022/siouxsie-wiles-why-masks-must-be-part-of-our-new-normal-at-orange-and-beyond
Who does she think she is, this rule-breaking, rule-making, attention-seeking, pink-haired person?
And while mask-wearing is endorsed by e.g. Johns Hopkins, they provide a lengthy list of the conditions to be satisfied in order to correctly and effectively wear them:
“Anytime you wear a mask, make sure:
- You clean your hands with soap or hand sanitiser before putting the mask on or taking it off.
- It is worn consistently and appropriately. A mask that is frequently pulled down to breathe or talk, or is worn under the nose, is not effective.
- The mask conforms to your face without gaps – it is important that most of the air you breathe in and out flows through the mask rather than around the mask through gaps at the sides, top or bottom.
- Your cloth mask is made from several layers of tightly-woven fabric and fits well over your nose and mouth to be an effective filter.
- The mask has a flexible nose bridge to conform to the face and prevent fogging of eyeglasses.
- It stays in place while talking and moving, so it can be worn without slipping and so it does not require you to touch it frequently.
- The mask is comfortable enough to wear without adjusting it for the time you need to keep it on.”
How often do you see people adhering to these requirements? Never. They take them off, put them on, fiddle with them, wear them under their noses or chins, pull them this way and that, wear well-used surgical masks that fit nowhere, ever.
Nobody washes or sanitises their hands before putting them on or taking them off. They put them on restaurant tables or cafes as they segue between counter and coffee. The whole sorry mask-erade is a saga of stupidity.
I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. As I was both mask-exempt and deaf and unable to make out any of the inaudible, masked instructions I was treated like a leper and led outside to wait for my appointment. It was, however, pleasant, sitting in the sun. Then I was fetched and escorted around the perimeter of the building to the back entrance and whisked through into the closest consulting room lest I contaminate others on my way. Ye Gods, what have we come to?
