A NEWS briefing on novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) prevention and control was held by the Guangdong Provincial Government on Tuesday, after which some reporters raised questions about why the speakers, including renowned respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan, removed their masks after the start of the meeting.

The news conference was held indoors. But why would Zhong and other experts take their masks off? Deng Hong, executive deputy director and spokesperson of the province’s information office, made a response. “Disinfection and ventilation is conducted thoroughly at this venue every day, and the speakers and reporters entered the room through separated entrances. Also, the distance between the speakers and reporters has been widened. For these reasons, it is safe for them to remove their masks.”

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, some citizens have become too fearful to think rationally.

In a panic-induced frenzy, many people paid a high price for unnecessary N-95 masks. Some people even wore more than one mask at a time.

Overreacting to the epidemic has led to many problems. Certain residential areas where no confirmed cases have been reported banned their residents from exiting. Some even forbade couples from sleeping in the same room or a family from playing mahjong at home.

Even if the country has required the orderly control and resumption of production amid the epidemic, some areas still have not implemented those guidelines. The pandemic has not only brought those extreme measures but also courted irreversible harm to society as a whole.

Therefore, Zhong’s move at the meeting was actually sending the following message:

Firstly, confidence should be established. We need to have faith in COVID-19 prevention and control efforts, and trust science, doctors and the country. Confidence is also a remedy against the virus. However vicious the virus is, it is not unbeatable.

Secondly, prevention and control efforts should be carried out scientifically. We should treat the epidemic in a sane way, not overreacting to it or underestimating its seriousness. Some people were unable to focus on their work or study due to the mental stress brought on by sensational articles published by social media accounts run by individuals. One can sufficiently protect himself from the virus by following scientific guidelines.

Thirdly, the epidemic should be treated rationally. Wearing a mask is not necessary when in a well-ventilated outdoor area such as a park, a well-ventilated office with at least a two-meter distance away from others, alone, at home or in a car with healthy family members. But if one shops at a supermarket or market, a mask is a must. 

(This is a translation of an opinion piece first published on Eastday.com)