Pinoys in NY refuse to wear a mask

“Panic is highly contagious, especially in situations when nothing is known and everything is in flux.” 

—Stephen King

By Alex P. Vidal

DESPITE the coronavirus or COVID-19 scare, most Filipinos in New York City have refused to wear a mask; or some of them don’t believe that covering the face with a mask will protect someone from being infected with the deadly virus.

“Everyone can be infected. Who knows if we already have it in our body? We can have a sore throat and we can sneeze, but as long as we don’t have a fever, we will not die,” sighed Fely, 64, who claimed she had been “properly brief” by her daughter, a registered nurse in Newark, New Jersey, about the coronavirus.

Fely, an applicant for caregiver, nixed the use of mask while waiting for her turn for medical exams in the doctor’s clinic in Queens March 10.

Felixberto, 65, an insurance executive, said most Filipinos find the mask or the wearing of it “so uncomfortable” because they are always busy doing their tasks and they don’t want to cover their faces.

“Wala pa kasi silang nabalitaan na may Filipino na namatay (They have not yet heard of reports that a Filipino has died). Most of us are still cynical,” he stressed. “We just observe proper hygiene and take the Vitamin C.”

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Customers in the Filipino turo-turo restaurants on the Woodside’s Roosevelt Avenue in Queens also ignore suggestions to wear a mask.

“There are millions of people in New York and only less than 50 cases have been recorded (for coronavirus infection) in New York City, so what’s the big deal?” hissed Resty, 58, a civil engineer in the Long Island and a regular habitue at the popular Kabayan Restaurant.

He refused to wear a mask and only recommended the “washing of our hands regularly for 20 seconds and avoid sickly people in the train and bus.”

No one from among the customers occupying the eight tables inside the restaurant wore a mask when I went to the restaurant on March 10.

Merlyn, in her 40’s, who accompanied her elderly female relative in the nearby Phil-AM grocery also on Roosevelt Avenue, wore a green mask used in the hospital.   

“Mahirap mag tiwala at mag relax (It’s too risky to relax). It’s better to be safe than sorry,” she said.

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This developed as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus across New York state reportedly rose Wednesday (March 11) to 212, while the five boroughs have now tallied 48 positive diagnoses.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that those totals represent a statewide increase of 39 and a city spike of 12 from Tuesday (March 10), as the potentially deadly disease continues to surge in the Empire State, home to more cases than any state in the nation except Washington.

As of March 11, New York’s hardest-hit county remains Westchester, which has 13 new cases for a total of 121.

This prompted authorities to announce that starting Thursday (March 12), the National Guard will begin enforcing a one-mile-radius “containment area” in the city of New Rochelle, forcing the two-week closure of large gathering areas including schools and houses of worship.

It was reported further that cases continued to rise on Long Island, where Nassau County now has 28, an increase of nine, and Suffolk County has six, an increase of five.

Cuomo urged calm even as allies in Rockland, Saratoga and Ulster counties stayed static at six, two and one, respectively.

Cuomo announced: “The facts here do not justify the amount of fear. The facts here actually reduced the anxiety. We have 212 cases in the state of New York. (Just) 32 are hospitalized.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)