It is rare for me to disagree with George Monbiot, but I must do so when he suggests that all those who wish to taper off some of the Covid restrictions are selfish (We are all playing Covid roulette. Without clean air, the next infection could permanently disable you, 26 January). As a frontline healthcare worker, I am against the ongoing requirement for mask-wearing in all clinical areas, for the simple reason that there appears to be no concept of when it will end. I wish to be able to connect with the people around me when I’m at work, a place I spend most of my waking hours.
Transmission of respiratory pathogens has always occurred, yet in the past we have reserved mask-wearing for the most high-risk situations, such as around those with tuberculosis or severe immunosuppression. Now it appears that social connection has been sacrificed permanently in favour of some victory in the battle between humanity and microbes. This may turn out to be the most important war humans have ever faced. Yet if it is worth sacrificing the ability to see another person’s face, why are only healthcare workers doing it? And, if it is not, when can NHS workers expect to be able to join the rest of the country and have permission to converse with people we can see, while they too can see us?
Jack Pickard
Paediatric intensive care doctor, London
