We have officially said goodbye to the mask, but in some European countries the obligations on public transport and indoors are back. And in Italy many continue to wear it, even without an explicit obligation, to protect themselves from Covid but also from the seasonal flu which is experiencing a boom in infections in this period.
Covid and flu are scary
With the arrival of low temperatures, Covid and the seasonal flu are scary again, especially in view of having the Christmas holidays ruined with a bad fever. For this reason, many run for cover: many wear a mask on the subway and on buses and the more cautious even in supermarkets and shopping centers.
Meanwhile, the country is grappling with a regrowth that should not be underestimated with Covid infections being twice as high as in the same period last year. The second cause Fabrizio Pregliascovirologist of the University of Milan is also the fact that many, despite having symptoms, do not swab: “We have an underestimation of the data, we know very well that many people do not get their positivity notified”
Masks, for doctors “You have to wear them”
«We are however in a phase of maximum diffusion of the virus» says the virologist Pregliasco according to which it is necessary «continue to use masks in certain contexts of particular crowding, which does not mean making it compulsory, but let’s clear its use precisely because in certain situations it can be useful, without polemics or ideological discussions”. For Filippo Anelli, president of the National Federation of Doctors’ Orders, wearing a mask “should be an act of responsibility on the part of all those who have flu symptoms and it is also the only way to avoid circulating quantities of virus, and thus reduce its spread.
Masks are back in Europe
In Europe several states have reintroduced the use of masks. In Spain are mandatory on public transport. In France they are not mandatory but the French president, Emmanuel Macron showed up again at a public event with a mask after months. “With a recovery of the epidemic, I think it is good to do pedagogy because we do not want to return to a generalized obligation,” said the president, encouraging citizens to wear it in case of crowds and risk.
Mandatory indoors in New York
But not only in Europe, even in America there is a return to protective devices. In New York, citizens have been asked to wear a mask indoors and even if they are vaccinated with multiple doses. The Big Apple’s Department of Hygiene and Health has published a notice inviting maximum attention precisely because the flu has joined the Covid cases. Anyone who has tested positive for the virus must wear a mask even outdoors. Los Angeles could soon do the same if hospitalizations due to Covid increase (10% of hospital beds occupied).
Putting the mask back on could limit infections for various pathologies in recent months. Experts then recommend getting vaccinated for Covid and the flu.