Editor:
In her dubious anti-mask letter (“Masks and mutual respect,” March 5), Ana Sandrin correctly quoted Canada’s chief public health officer as having said, “Putting a mask on an asymptomatic person is not beneficial. What we worry about is the potential negative aspects of wearing masks.” And while she does note that Dr. Tam made this statement in March of 2020, Ms. Sandrin fails to note that Dr. Tam completely reversed herself a week later. Masks are beneficial as “an additional measure,” noted the good doctor, a fact that has proven to be accurate during this past debilitating year.
It is worth emphasizing that in March of 2020 scientists and medical authorities were trying to come to grips with a virus they knew precious little about. We know a lot more now. Which is why I believe Ms. Sandrin’s letter, with its reference to Dr. Tam’s outdated and long ago recanted opinions, is especially problematic: it offers a justification for behaviour that runs entirely counter to what most of us have painfully accepted and benefited from.
Masks work. Masks are necessary. Wear them or stay out of sight. If not for your own self, then for the good of the community at large.
Jan Michael Sherman, Halfmoon Bay
