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#WearAMask trends on Twitter with its new like button animation

By Brooke Villanueva Published Sep 23, 2020 1:40 pm

With the rising number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths on a global scale comes camps of anti-maskers protesting on the streets in different parts of the world.

The groups—who have rallied against the mandatory use of face masks in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, and Canada, among others—believe that it robs them of their freedom and significantly reduces their oxygen levels.

In an article on Reader’s Digest Canada, Calgary-based physician organizer Dr. Amy Tan described the latter as “the most ridiculous fake news” she has ever heard from the league. “That’s not true. If it were, health care professionals like myself would be passing out while we do our jobs on a daily basis,” she said. 

Wearing a mask, stressed Tan, is paramount in the time of COVID-19 as it protects everyone from the disease. “We didn’t realize that in the early stages of COVID when we were still looking at masks in terms of their potential to protect the wearer, but now we know that the chief purpose of wearing a mask is not to keep the coronavirus out, but to keep your own droplets in,” she explained. “Based on what we know now, the virus survives and spreads via droplets of saliva that are released when we sneeze or cough, but also when we sing, cheer, laugh, or talk closely.”

Twitter got creative in reminding everyone of this responsibility. When a user likes a tweet containing the hashtag #WearAMask, a face with a mask emoji pops up on the screen instead of the usual sparkling heart button. The initiative was well-received by many, including leaders, personalities, and organizations that likewise contributed to the worldwide trend on the social media platform.

In a survey conducted between June 22 to 28 by the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, it was found that 91 percent of Filipinos always wear a mask when they’re outside. Next to Singapore, the Philippines ranked second in line with mask-wearing among the 29 countries and territories that participated in the study.