Hanes: Let’s hang on to our masks a bit longer

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Since the pandemic started two years ago, it has often been instructive to look across the pond for a preview of what we may soon be in for ourselves.

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A glimpse at the United Kingdom at present, where almost all restrictions, including mandatory masks, have been dropped, suggests the crisis is far from over — no matter how much we may wish otherwise.

British Airways and Easyjet canceled 120 flights between them on Monday, according to the Financial Times, as sick crew members grounded plans. White collar workers are steering clear of their London office towers again amid workplace outbreaks. The UK is currently experiencing its highest rate of infections since the pandemic hit in 2020.

It’s one step forward, two steps back when it comes to resuming a normal life.

Quebec appears to be headed in the same direction. Absences among students and staff spiked 75 per cent last week in schools, where children can remove their masks while sitting at their desks; 11,000 health care workers are out sick; the number of daily cases confirmed with PCR tests rose above 3,000. But a study by CIRANO estimated there were between 18,000 and 32,000 new cases a day during the last week of March.

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Anecdotally, we all seem to know someone who has caught the virus lately — and that includes many public figures.

Premier François Legault made his first appearance Monday since announcing he tested positive for the virus on March 24. In the meantime, several members of the National Assembly announced they, too, had been infected, including Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault.

Quebec’s high vaccination rate has meant most people experienced mild symptoms and recovered quickly at home. But hospitalizations are at a five-week high, rising above 1,400 Monday.

Given the contagiousness of the BA.2 sub-variant, there’s little we can do to stop the spread, only slow it down. Even China, with its hard lockdown, is struggling to contain a sixth wave. And as Quebec shifts to living with the virus, no one wants to go back to restaurant closures and curfews.

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But that doesn’t mean we should let down our guard completely and allow the virus to tear through the population. That would risk the health of vulnerable elders, people with compromised immune systems, and unvaccinated Quebecers who have not bothered to shield themselves.

Fortunately, we still have something that the UK, and even our neighbors in Ontario, no longer do: masks. Current conditions suggest we should hang on to them a little longer.

Since mid-March face coverings are “recommended” but no longer mandatory in the UK, be it at supermarkets, Heathrow Airport, or in the tube. Ontario also ended mask requirements schools, restaurants and gyms as of March 21.

Mask mandates for grocery stores or retail shops are supposed to be lifted in Quebec as of April 15. But Dr. Luc Boileau, Quebec’s national director of public health, indicated over the weekend that he is in favor of extending the deadline until the end of the month. He made the case for prolonging their use to Legault and Health Minister Christian Dubé on Monday. We should find out Tuesday whether the premier’s own brush with COVID-19 has made him any more cautious.

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Since the start of 2022, Legault has gone from implementing some of the toughest restrictions to easing practically all of them in the face of growing pandemic fatigue, a populist backlash and an approaching election. There has to be a happy medium between heavy-handedness and throwing caution to the wind. Keeping masks would be a step toward striking that fine balance.

It would be foolish to give up on them now. If the government wants Quebecers to “manage their own risk,” people who are more prudent need assurances they can go about their business safely. It’s one thing to avoid a house party; quite another to have to grocery shop in fear.

It’s also a lot simpler to stay the present course than to bring back masks later if an even more contagious, virulent or dangerous form of COVID-19 emerges.

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Quebec also needs to double down on championing the importance of vaccination. Booster uptake has fallen off and too few schoolchildren have rolled up their sleeves. The only reason there aren’t more hospitalizations and deaths right now is because vaccines save lives.

Sure, face coverings can be annoying. They itch, fog up glasses, muffle speech, cover smiles, and pull behind the ears. But they are an indispensable tool to curb COVID-19.

Wearing masks is the bare minimum we can do to protect ourselves and others while still resuming normal lives.

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