COMMUNICATIONS

The virus we know as “corona” has been causing havoc for some time. The world has been racking its brains over how best to respond. In Japan, the use of masks has been strongly encouraged. Japan’s mask diffusion rate must surely exceed that of any other country.

I too have followed the advice. There can be no doubt that masks have had a role in preventing the spread of the virus. However, I still feel perplexed by this.

There is a curry shop near where I live. Whenever I walk past, it hits me: the delicious aroma of curry. The smell reaches my nose even when I wear a mask. How effective can such a mask be, I wonder, for keeping the virus at bay?

I suffer from hay-fever at the start of spring every year. When the season comes around, I wear a mask, and have done so for some time. Masks do alleviate the symptoms to some degree. It seems that thanks to the mask, pollen in the atmosphere is partially prevented from entering my nose. But surely the pollen particles are larger than those of the virus?

I’m curious how effective these masks are. I am happy to wait until the virus kerfuffle is over. Might somebody then be able to then give us an empirical verdict?