How different are the Values behind masks?

     Masks are not recommended in the UK during the pandemic. Because of the huge gap in trust in society in general, many People in the UK cannot understand the Chinese people's reliance on mask safety. Since novel Coronavirus outbreak, both in the United Kingdom and the United States, Chinese wearing masks have been discriminated against and even beaten news. It's racist and illegal, of course, but in the face of the pandemic, the UK does not recommend wearing masks. It is worth discussing why there is such a big difference between British society and Chinese society on the wearing of masks.

In today's China, masks are directly equated with safety. They are the safety valve between life and death, and a sign of mutual respect. Do not wear a mask is different, completely exposed will suffer strange eyes, and even become a social concern - whether you want to spread the virus all over the world? But in the UK, some Chinese feel wronged: it is normal for me to wear a mask, not only to prevent the virus, but also to prevent the virus from spreading from me to society. What is wrong with it?

But in the eyes of many Westerners, masks are medical supplies, and if someone needs to wear a mask, they should not be in public, they should be in a hospital (or at least at home), not outside. If he/she sees a person wearing a mask in public, he/she intuitively thinks that this person is sick and could spread the virus and be dangerous. A Chinese friend started wearing a mask early in the day. She said her neighbors ran away when they saw her. Another was asked, "Are you ok?" after seeing that the number of cases in The UK had suddenly increased to 51.

But there is also a shortage of face masks in the UK as Chinese people buy them online and send them home. According to a wechat message sent by several celebrities on wechat moments, they flew a large number of masks and medical supplies from the UK to support Wuhan. In the early days of the epidemic shortage, they said they could bypass the Chinese Red Society and drop medical supplies directly from helicopters to the gates of wuhan hospitals. Like the Americans, the British believe that ordinary masks do not stop the spread of the virus by droplets, and that effective surgical masks are medical equipment that should be left to medical staff. Do not touch your mouth, nose and eyes with dirty hands, wash your hands frequently, and reduce the probability of virus infection in places where your hands touch (such as tables, doorknobs, remote controls, mobile phones, etc.), which is the most effective way of personal protection and blocking the spread of the virus.

      Britain is focusing on the source of infection at the starting point, stopping the spread of the virus as soon as the person or carrier is sick. Can China apply the UK's approach of washing hands without masks? It is difficult to estimate, first of all, the public facilities are not satisfied. Free toilet paper, hand sanitizer and hand dryers are not yet available in public toilets in the West.