Don’t make wearing of mask law, please

THE EDITOR: It is with great alarm that I hear the first business of Parliament will be to make not wearing a mask a criminal offence. For what?

So far, there has not been a single death in TT that could be attributed solely to covid19. The few who have died all had comorbidities – other reasons that could have caused their demise.

Many more people die from many more causes than covid19 but we don't institute draconian measures to deal with them.

We are focusing on the wrong statistic – number who "test positive" – in order to cause panic and fear. The number of cases is unimportant if almost all who "test positive" recover without any issue. If, by some miracle, I get the virus, I'm almost certain to recover, as would most people. And once more, I labour to point out that "tested positive" does not necessarily mean you are infected.

We seem hell-bent on passing this legislation. Again, based on what? No study, anywhere in the world, has shown that mask-wearing or physical distancing has had any effect on the spread of the virus. And our officials continue to talk about being "guided by science," which boils down to the whims and fancies of those at the WHO/CDC with their own agendas.

Remember how our jails were filled with youths who did nothing more than have a few grams of marijuana in their possession? The police were more interested in chalking up arrests rather than going after real criminals. (Even with possession of small amounts now legal, it doesn't prevent them from going after easy targets, destroying crops that could earn us much-needed foreign exchange.)

It will be a thousand times worse if mask-wearing becomes mandatory since it affects everyone in the population, not just those who plant weed. The police will now exert all their energies going after innocent people whose only "crime" is not wearing a mask which may be compromising their health. And, of course, real criminals will have an even bigger field day, with the Commissioner of Police leading the charge against "mask criminals."

I voted for the UNC because I thought it would have taken a more sensible approach to covid19 and mask-wearing. Now I hear the Opposition Leader has said she will support mask-wearing legislation. How disappointing! I urge her to reconsider and oppose this legislation.

Even though it may still pass, if that law is unleashed on the population, it will have dire consequences that we will come to regret. I guarantee if this legislation is passed, it will come back to haunt us. I'm calling on MPs to vote their conscience against what will quickly prove to be a pernicious piece of legislation, without any compensating benefit.

If my plea falls on deaf ears, at least ensure two things. Make exceptions for those who, like myself, simply cannot wear a mask for more than a minute or so without fainting, hyper-ventilating or getting sick. And put a sunset clause in the legislation. In other words, try it out until, say, September 30 and go back to Parliament if the evidence indicates an extension is warranted.

A CHARLES

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