President sans face mask?

I was shocked and surprised to see a group photograph with the caption ‘Except for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa all those in attendance including Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former President Maithripala Sirisena wore masks’ in an English weekend paper – vide page 7 of Sunday Times of 24 May.

I was wondering why his Task Force has not advised him to wear a mask and not to put his health at risk. The Presidential Task Force should be taken to task in case if he falls sick (but I pray that nothing happens to him). Being the Head of the State, he should have worn the best protective mask available in the market – as far as I know it is the N 95 respirator mask. This would have been my advice had I been a member of the Task Force!

I would have even recommend PPE because I will want him to take the maximum protection. Let him know that I adore him for his dress sense – being modest. He is my model par excellence because of his simple attire.

The President by not wearing the mask, in my opinion, is setting a very bad precedent. If someone is caught red-handed for not wearing the mask, s/he can show this photograph as an alibi as nemo est supra leges – no one is above the law.

I may be wrong in case if he has taken any prophylactic antibiotics dose of medicine having access to the best of the medical specialists so that he is immune to this coronavirus. In which case, he should disclose same so that we all could take the same medicine.

Mohamed Zahran

Colombo