Masks and sanitisers came in handy with our struggles in the last year. But, did the majority of the population notice them before it was too late? The answer is a resounding no. Especially in India, people who wore masks in the last decade were prejudiced as weak or sick individuals.
Masks were used even lesser in comparison to sanitisers and they were unofficially categorized for use only within hospital premises. Even at some hospitals, it was merely a formality to keep them. Some were even known to re-use surgical masks, which destroys the whole purpose of using them in the first place.
“Prevention is better than cure” is more than just a proverb. The world is not the same as it was once. It is constantly changing for a while now and though our bodies fight to adapt, they were not evidently successful enough. The rise in global population has only made the situation worse in terms of health, hygiene, lifestyle and the environment.
To quote another famous proverb “Necessity is the mother of Invention”, masks were a result of such rising global necessity. Instead, they were neglected by the majority of us, merely because of our lack of awareness. Relying completely on our body’s capacity to fight the unidentified foes in the atmosphere around would cost us a terrible price.
So, is it enough to wear just about any mask? Well, something is better than nothing. But, clearly, it is not everything. New dangers come knocking on our doors every year and even with our technological advancements, we end up taking quite the beating before getting back up. The air is not getting cleaner by the day and the air purifiers can only help us inside our living compounds.
The new age inhabitants seem to have allergies that we had never experienced in our communities before. So, just about any mask wouldn’t do the trick. Among the masks that are available in the market, 3 to 4 Layers, Non-Woven or Melt-Blown Surgical & Face Masks or N-95 Masks are found to be reliable when it comes to defending ourselves against not only harmful microbes but also dust, fog, pollen and other potential allergy-inducing components out in the environment.
If we all had enough masks and sanitisers to help each one of us and if we all were smart enough to take the precautions before it was too late, a crisis would have been averted. We could have also considerably minimized the casualties on a global scale. Our neglect had not just affected us, but it took a toll on the kids and elders who were rendered defenceless against a powerful nemesis.
It is no use in lingering over the past mistakes but if we don’t learn from them, our sufferings would become an annual event. So, we must take it upon ourselves to hope for the best but always prepare for the worst. Masks and sanitisers are maybe our only shields against the imminent dangers that may or may not come in the future and adapting them into your lifestyle is wise, to say the least.