EDITORIAL | Put mistrust aside and keep your mask on

Its mistakes aside, it’s unlikely the state wants to control citizens, so do the right thing for your fellow man

05 May 2022 - 19:34

Nothing has animated the debate over the necessity or otherwise of Covid-19 restrictions on our freedoms than the mask, a deceptively simple yet highly emotional topic on which we all have an opinion. Worn by many around the neck or covering only the mouth, the comforting presence of a mask around the face of another member of the public is becoming a legacy of the lockdown era. Where some see the mask as a long-overdue upgrade of public hygiene in public spaces, to others it has become the defining symbol of the new age in which rights and liberty have been sacrificed to contain an epidemic that has killed millions, but has left much of the thinking world scratching its head as to what exactly is going on. The intersection between health and democratic practice has never been more acute...

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