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In the early stages of this crisis, federal officials, such as Tam and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reassured Canadians that the border didn’t need to be closed and that gatherings were fine. They told us to wash our hands and carry on. By comparison, countries such as Taiwan and Singapore moved fast to start screening airline passengers and halt all flights from Wuhan. By acting quickly and decisively, their public health officials and political leaders lowered the number of initial cases, making the act of “flattening the curve” much easier and not destroying their economies in the process. Similar decisions by our leaders wouldn’t occur until weeks later, when it was too late to make a meaningful difference.

Photo by Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

Canada has also failed us by not recommending the use of, and putting policies in place to support, the wearing of masks and other barriers in public. The virus is mainly spread by respiratory droplets produced when people cough, sneeze or have a runny nose. These droplets can than infect someone by coming into contact with a mucosal surface, such as the mouth, nose or eyes. This can occur by breathing in the virus, or touching one’s face. It is also becoming clear that the disease can be spread by people that don’t feel sick. A simple mask reduces the chance of this occurring.

I have been greatly impressed by the great majority of healthy Canadians who have sacrificed their jobs and their personal well-being to practice social distancing. By maintaining a distance of two metres, the frequency and amount of droplets that can be spread is greatly reduced. But a face mask acts as a significant barrier, as well. They can help reduce the chances of someone being infected by droplets that are lingering in the air. Most importantly, a mask may prevent asymptomatic carriers from spreading the disease. They act as a barrier that complements the social distancing measures we have already put in place.