JACK: Ooh, the latest edition of Vague is out.
Oh, let's see what fashion trends are in this season.
Masks? Again?!
(SCOFFS) Ground-breaking.
Yeah, while it might feel like
a bit of a fashion repeat from last year,
it's no surprise that masks are the must-have staple
for yet another season.
And what's not to love about them?
You can disguise your bad breath.
I can...I can still smell it.
(EXHALES, SNIFFS)
You can match them to your outfit.
'Cause I made it myself.
You can stick googly eyes on your chin
and make a little face and no-one will ever know!
Oh, yeah, and then there's the fact
that they're now scientifically proven
to help evade pesky viruses.
Since the pandemic began,
face masks have been a pretty debated topic,
and at first, there were a lot of mixed messages.
That's because, well,
we hadn't really been in a pandemic like this before,
so we didn't really know how effective they were
at stopping the spread of viruses.
For the last year and a half,
scientists have been trying to work out
how exactly the virus spreads,
and now it's looking like a big culprit
is respiratory particles -
you know, little droplets that we release
when we speak or cough or sneeze or sing or even just breathe.
Some of those droplets can be really tiny
and linger in the air for a long time.
That's led to experts recommending changes
for things like ventilation in buildings,
social distancing and, yep, masks.
Thanks to a whole bunch of studies,
we now know that wearing a mask
can reduce the transmission of the virus
from an infected person by about 50% to 70%.
Studies have also found that
if you're uninfected and wearing a mask,
it can also reduce the chances of becoming infected.
While the rules around when to wear a mask are different
depending on where you live,
there are some places where masks are now mandatory,
like catching a plane,
or places where social distancing is difficult.
Oh, and, of course, areas that are in lockdowns.
Meanwhile, in SA, where there aren't any current community cases,
people are still required to wear a mask in certain places,
including all high-school students, who have to wear them at school.
We have to wear them in class and when we're going around.
However, during, um, break one and break two, we don't need to.
I find it very difficult to hear some people talk,
um, and it does get really hot and stuffy
if you keep them on for long durations of time as well.
And sometimes it also goes with my outfit
and it helps with fashion as well.
I like how we get to go back to school
and see our friends 'cause socialising is a big part of,
like, going to school and stuff,
so I like how that allows us to do that.
Kids under 12 are exempt from mask rules,
but health experts say they can be helpful
for anyone over two.
And whether you love them or hate them,
experts reckon we'll have to get used to them.
Of course, there are some people
who have really good reasons why they can't wear one, which is OK.
And there are still some people who haven't quite worked out
how to wear one properly, which is not OK.
It goes over the nose, people!
Then there's the debate over what sort of mask is best.
While these fabric ones look fancy, unless they're made properly,
they're not as effective as these ones,
although there are concerns now that disposable masks are just adding
to the pollution problems we already have.
Either way, whatever your style,
it looks like face masks will be on trend for the foreseeable future,
which means I'll have to get over my phobia of a fashion repeat.
Oh, but I wore this mask last week! What are people going to think of me?
That you're being protective of yourself and others?
Oh, well, that's true, I suppose.