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A Symbol of Respect

A Symbol of Respect

Wear a mask to reduce spread of COVID-19

Why has wearing a mask become so politicized? Why is there so much mistrust for the government? When will we be able to go back to “normal”?

Humans are made to connect and create meaningful interactions, yet the pandemic has made it difficult to continue in our natural state. It is normal that we have the need of questioning but it is also normal to make decisions for the benefit of the other. 

If it wasn’t for community human kind would not have survived as we know it. Community is humanity and vice versa. 

In this opinion essay we will explore what it means to create community, thus to have a sense of humanity. We are also going to unpack the absolute of trusting science. Finally, we are going to unveil what we can do to offset the wastefulness of disposable masks. 

COMMUNITY

Derived from the latin word, commūnitās, takes us on a journey to late 14c. to describe society, fellowship, friendly intercourse, courtesy, affability, shared by all or many. In today’s world community may present in multiple forms, such as family, neighborhood, workplace, province, country and on a larger scale, planet earth. Yes, at some point throughout earth’s rotation, you reading this and I are connected as a community. 

Let us not forget that nature and the weather are directly linked, for instance sands from the Sahara Desert drifting all the way to the amazon jungle play a major role in the jungle’s rich tropical weather while feeding plants.

When you read this I am sure you feel connected with this system, as humans operate the same way. When the Coronavirus was detected in Wuhan close to December 2019, people underestimated the power of mass population and fast spread of a virus. Just like the sands of the Sahara spread through the Atlantic ocean to make it to the Amazon, but in this case the virus spread through travel and mass transportation. 

So, it began spreading and we had nothing left but to operate as a community. Interconnectedness is what is allowing us move at a fast speed in getting people vaccinated and following the health protocols. It is surprisingly fast how scientists released the vaccine, and immediately started a campaign to get the majority of the population vaccinated. 

SCIENCE = FACTS

Let’s look at the facts, in the last pandemic, the H1N1 Swine Flu, first detecting the virus made us all take proper measures as to where we eat, what we consume and proper hygiene. Though this pandemic was less severe than previous pandemics, it warned the world that something larger could come. Thus, behind the scenes scientists began increasing laboratory testing. 

If something we can be proud of about science is that experts around the world have been working towards solutions while we are sleeping. As you read on our last blog post, humans have the capacity to overcome adversity with a sense of humanity, which is an a priori that will distinguish us from animals. We have the capacity of resurging like a Fenix and moving forward like a hawk. 

I have seen communities join together to make sure everyone understands the importance of getting vaccinated, or the importance of wearing a mask. I have seen communities question the vaccine and mask mandates. It is all done as a group, not just one person. Because that is how we function, at a collective capacity. 

Using this capacity to validate what scientists around the world are constantly testing, is also a humane thing to do. At Quinde we understand that the use of a mask can reduce the risk of spreading the virus, and most importantly we understand that this has to be a constant until the majority of the population is vaccinated and immunology has stabilized across the world. 

I DON’T FEEL GOOD ABOUT WASTE

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We understand you! As population grows, it is inevitable to have waste derived from single use products. Clinical masks are advised to be worn once or twice. Still, who hasn’t picked a new chirurgical mask and worn it at least a week? 

There is guilt in throwing it away, and the truth is that walks around the park or the beach mean that you are likely to find a mask littered. The worst is to know that single-use face masks are made of polypropylene fabric that takes over 400 years to biodegrade. 

We did some research and found a solution you might appreciate. Before COVID, personal protective equipment was already being used and disposed by medical workers. What they do to accumulate waste and properly dispose it, is by marking it as hazardous material. This material has a proper disposition process in each country. 

In the UK there is a wonderful initiative called ReWorked, that recycles all hazardous materials and turns them into water filters, baby bottles, construction materials, kitchen cutlery, gardening tools, bathroom items, and so on. You can order a recycling box to be delivered to your school, workplace, or to place it in your neighborhood. Once the box is filled you ship it back to the company and they use all the material to build functional tools.

Visit Reworked.com for more information

QUINDE’S UNIQUE MASKS 

What we really encourage you to do is to try using reusable masks from Quinde, aside from protecting you, they are extremely stylish. These masks are considered to be sufficient according to WHO. Unless you have a health condition or have compromised immune system. As well as if you have symptoms it is necessary to utilize medical disposable masks. 

At Quinde we make sure to follow all of WHO’s parameters for a good mask.

Thanks for reading us, if you liked our blog post please share it. 

written by: Dominique Crespo

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominiquecrespo/

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