Seeing the mandatory mask motion at city facilities at Vancouver city council get voted down from Taiwan, where there’s no local COVID transmission for months, is making think through all the actions by gov, businesses, individuals, etc. to ensure safety of our communities.

1/
I dug into the motion a little more and noticed that the recommendation AGAINST the motion from Vancouver/local health experts said specifically “non-medical” masks. The motion uses general term “masks”. I think this is a key differentiation that requires more specific nuance.
2/
Key statement pointing out effectiveness here: “In the hierarchy of measures to prevent COVID transmission, non-medical mask wearing is one of the lowest, and should not replace more effective measures,” according to the letter from the two doctors.

https://vancouversun.com/news/no-need-for-mandatory-masks-in-city-owned-buildings-say-top-public-health-doctors

3/
This points to how “mask” specifications should have some health and industry standards assigned to them, or else it might be counter to what we are trying to achieve when we leave it for people to wear a choose-your-own-face-covering adventure. Not all masks prevent spread.

4/
This is leaving aside the entire access piece. Both access to proper medical masks themselves and pricing. The prices for masks that I saw for sale while I was in Vancouver during COVID is a barrier. Medical ones were even worse.

Those profiting can goto 18 levels of hell.

5/
Here in Taiwan, there’s a very effective gov run MEDICAL mask quota system put in place since the early days of COVID for citizens to buy masks at a set, accessible, price.

The gov also worked with industry to convert manufacturing to amp up production of MEDICAL masks.

6/
It’s still hard(-ish) to find larger quantities of medical one to purchase due to hoarders (plus the free market price for these). Hoarders can goto 18hell too.

Non medical masks are sold but you just don’t see as many people wearing them as medical ones.

7/
I think the mass PSAs, ongoing education, and enforcement of only medical masks being sold through the quota system made this standard of medical masks possible. Further, the government has recently been cracking down those selling non certified medical grade masks!

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There’s a lot more like cultural acceptance, restrictions on exports, mandatory quarantine, border controls, etc.

It’s just interesting to see how attempts to increase safety/decrease transmission in Canada is fumbled by various factors & limitations. Systems are not aligned.
9/
Back to the motion: w/ barriers in acquiring medical masks & w/ how some “masks” can be counter productive to safety... a mandatory “mask” policy is not practical and potentially harmful. I say this as a proponent of enforced mask wearing, it just has to be done properly.

10/
Systems that need alignment:

1. Employers need to take full responsibility to ensure that their employees are equipped, trained, and willing and able to work in this pandemic. Supply proper PPE, assess risks seriously, allow flexibility, etc. (There’s so much more to this).

11/
2. Nationalize a PPE industry or something along those lines. Medical masks and other supplies will be useful for seasonal flu and other diseases. Relying on global capitalistic systems is shortsighted (isn’t this a capitalism value?). Free market = profits over lives.

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3. Ramp up education and literacy on health. For this thread specifically, more education around masks and other PPE, including how to wear and dispose of them. Washing hands campaign worked well; I think we can learn another thing or two to further collective efforts.

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4. Embed and embrace culture of social responsibility. There’s something to be said about the disease of brazen individualism that enables people to think that they are not responsible to others around them (e.g. the fascinating mask debate and other societal horrors).

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There more to this but I wanted to write here as a way to help myself compare and contrast not only how life with essentially no COVID impact is surreal here, but also how we as society and individuals are acting and relating to each other as we try to do our bit.

15/
Mandating masks is good -I am very pleased to see that it is the norm and widely accepted here in Taiwan- but key factors and nuances need to be in place amongst the various stakeholders to make it real and achievable so to help the mandatory policy reach its intended goal. /16
Oh and for those residing in BC, please go vote in the election. Thanks. #BCelxn2020 #BCvotes2020

Look up @ElectionsBC for more info.
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