Someone who is profoundly deaf and living independently may have been restricted in their communication since March, as face masks mean they are unable to navigate their usual daily routine.
‘Why face masks?’ you may ask. Well, the individual relies on their ability to lipread, and although masks are very much needed right now, it doesn’t help anyone whose daily living and mental health is affected by being unable to ‘see’ the words people are saying.
There are PVC face masks which prevent this issue, and some shops do use transparent perspex screens, but for affected individuals the world has got much smaller and more stressful.
Perhaps there could be a directive that public-facing staff should wear PVC face masks in their role? The lack of Public Service Announcements to raise awareness of this issue mean that many will simply suffer in silence.