‘We have to learn fast’ - local barber

Mandatory mask wearing in all retail settings came into force at the start of this week.

On the afternoon of day one - last Monday, August 11 - there was plenty of evidence of people taking the guidelines seriously in and around Cavan Town.

At the front doors of several supermarkets, attendees were reminding customers to “mask-up”, while some pharmacies and other stores reported heightened demand for PPE over the weekend in the run up to face coverings becoming mandatory.

Meanwhile, on the streets and in shops, some were more prepared to speak on the subject than others.

Cormac McCann from Belturbet had just finished his grocery shopping. Wearing a mask and marigold gloves, he says he’s been taking such precautions for quite some time.

“I can’t understand why it hasn’t been the case all this time,” he says. “It’s nothing new to me.”

He believes mask-wearing is important, if nothing else, to encourage others to act responsibly too.

Seth Jones agrees.

He’s frustrated at the appearance of so many people not wearing masks, yet willing to complain about the spread of the virus at the same time.

“It’s hypocritical,” regards Seth, who says: “We’re all in this together. If there were rules around mask-wearing from the start, it might not have gotten as bad as it did.”

While mandatory mask wearing for some might be new, at Lorraine O’Neill’s Main Street Barbers, staff there have been wearing PPE since the first day of reopening.

“Day one, it was all a bit awkward. I don’t think wearing a mask everyday is something you get used to, but it’s like anything else, once you work it into your routine, you get on with it,”

Lorraine has perhaps more reason than most to be fretful over contracting Covid. Her daughter Mia has Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and would be particularly vulnerable if she caught the virus.

She also can’t understand, given the prevalence of infection, why mandatory mask wearing wasn’t introduced sooner, and believes the Government needs to step up further in terms of leadership.

“For the 16 weeks we were off, I never once came into town without a mask. Keep your mouth covered, hands clean. Saying that, you can’t blame anyone for this. No one knew anything about this, so we’re all still learning? But we have to learn fast.”