TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The nation's outdoor mask mandate was lifted Monday (Dec. 1) but you wouldn't have known it by walking around Taipei.
A large majority of people were still wearing their "Made in Taiwan" masks, in the usual dizzying array of colors and designs. There were no mask-burning parties, or politicians claiming that freedom had at last won the day.
Instead, just a handful of people turned up for a rather tame photo op to mark the event at Xinyi Assembly Hall near Taipei 101. In celebrating the “historical moment,” one of the participants even admitted that she wore masks before COVID ever happened.
A low-key event in Taipei's Xinyi District marks the day (Dec. 1) when wearing masks outside was no longer the law. (Taiwan News photo)
The effect of lifting the mask mandate was, in fact, remarkably muted. And no wonder, really.
Rewind nearly three years and before COVID (BC) there was a nascent fashion for wearing masks, especially among women, particularly on the subway. Leading the way were South Korean pop stars who wore masks at airports when they were not looking their pristine best, or had recently undergone plastic surgery.
While hygiene, preventing common coughs and colds, and being immunocompromised are eminently sensible reasons for wearing masks, there are other issues too. Such as pollution, smells, and wanting anonymity in a world wired up for facial recognition everywhere we walk.
Some women say they enjoy the privacy that masks afford. They don’t like being stared at by men and the mask either deters this or tones it down.
They enjoy going out makeup free and not being constantly judged for their appearance. Others simply like the warm feeling of a mask on a cold day.
Asked if they see a parallel with Muslim women wearing a veil, these individuals typically don’t get the analogy. While they may or may not feel sorry for Muslim women, seeing the veil as an infringement of the “freedom” to wear what they want, they see mask-wearing now as optional and disease preventive.
It is a similar situation in other Asian nations like Japan and South Korea, which lifted mask restrictions in September. However, it is the opposite of China, which is struggling to maintain control with its rigid mask-wearing and zero-COVID strategy.
Sounds like Taiwan isn't a part of China since it's not in lockstep with it's zero-Covid strategy. 〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕
— Keve van Ass (@Keve_van_Ass) November 28, 2022
The group called Foreigners in Taiwan, run by U.S. expats, was a Twitter window on the soul of some foreigners’ reactions to the lifting of the mask restrictions, making the observation on Monday (Dec. 1) that “99% of people are still masked up outside.”
An individual calling himself “The Depressed Pundit” replied, “Pretty incredible, considering how the rest of the world isn’t masked all over.” Jason W. Brunken added, “The conditioning was complete,” and “Tutuo” said, “Just like Japan.”
Not on a mass scale like this. This reflects the fear and brainwashing that has occurred over the past two years, and the Taiwanese mindset of following orders and being seen to be a good citizen, at the expense of what’s good for them or appropriate.
— Exposing the Globalist Agenda (@ronthedon12345) December 1, 2022
— Fred J. Thompson (@FredJThompson) December 1, 2022
Not all foreigners were like Timothy Brummer, who replied to a tweet from TVBS news anchor Liu Ting-ting (劉亭廷) about the lifting of the mask mandate by saying, “Was never required in USA, why did Taiwan require it?”
Providing some balance, Pierre Coat, opined on the Foreigners in Taiwan Twitter thread: “Only foreigners are whining about wearing masks. Honestly wearing masks has been a normal thing even before COVID in Taiwan, especially during the cold weather.”
As for Taiwanese, the host of “Taiwan Today” and other shows, Natalie Tso seemed to sum up the situation with her comments on the change in law on wearing masks outdoors; though the indoor mask mandate remains and everyone has to wear them on public transport, in crowded areas, for “events” and so on ...
“Who in #Taiwan is still wearing their mask outside? Left work and totally forgot I don’t need this outside ;),” she commented. “I totally forgot about the new no-mask rule today and the Taiwanese I've talked to still plan to wear them.”
So, no big deal, and the love affair with masks deepens. But if it’s safe not to wear masks, you can be sure the Taiwanese will naturally save face, as Tso seemed to suggest in a later tweet:
I didn’t wear a mask outdoors tonight cause the weather was great and we don’t have to anymore ;)#Taiwan
— Natalie Tso (@TsoNatalie) December 2, 2022
