Ground chatter: Many still prefer to mask up outdoors even on day one of new rules

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone dreamed of the day it would be deemed safe enough to take them off. However, two years later, when countries like Singapore are beginning to ease the safety measures as they gain ground in the battle against Covid-19, people are actually saying they prefer to wear their masks even when outdoors. 

On Tuesday (March 29), Singapore implemented a modified set of safety measures against Covid-19. One of the modifications to the rules is that it is now optional to wear a mask outdoors. Though at the beginning of the pandemic, mask-wearing was something everyone had to get used to, it seems to have become a part of everyday life for many–so much so that on the first day that people were no longer obligated to don a facemask outdoors, many expressed their strong preference for keeping their masks on. 

In response to a post showing photos of maskless people outdoors, many left comments explaining why they still choose to wear them even in open-air venues.

For some, it is a matter of consideration for others, such as members of their family or even the more vulnerable in society such as the elderly and children. For others, it is the sense of security they feel knowing that the risk of transmission is brought even lower with a facemask. A few even reported that they saw a lot of people wearing masks outdoors.