Outdoor mask, Cartabellotta: “Now we can take it off”

“It seems to me that people have already decided. Today I was in Riccione and in the absence of any checks half of the people did not wear it. 40% held it under the nose or chin. We who wore it were 10% “. Thus Nino Cartabellotta, president of the Gimbe Foundation, in an interview with Repubblica in which he states that the time is ripe for the masks to be removed outdoors, except in some contexts “which can favor contagion and therefore require caution” . “We know that outdoors, in the absence of aerosols, the risk of contagion is reduced. In addition, the spread of the virus is currently very low, about 20 new cases per week for every 100 thousand inhabitants. In the summer, all respiratory viruses circulate less So yes, we can take off the mask outdoors, especially if we are vaccinated. But we have to put it back on if we can’t stay away or if we find ourselves in situations where we scream or sing. In this case the virus spreads more easily “. “The vaccination coverage begins to widen – continues the doctor – However, two and a half million over-sixties are missing from the appeal and for this reason, whatever the policy decides, common sense is needed. It is one thing that a 30-year-old boy is walking barefoot alone, it is another thing if he is a 65-year-old who did not want to vaccinate and risks getting seriously ill. All these exceptions the law cannot provide. There is or isn’t an obligation. Otherwise we risk recreating the confusion seen with AstraZeneca. It is possible that in a month or so we will have more doses available than people willing to get vaccinated. It is normal for voluntary bookings to run out beyond a certain threshold. With the summer and the holidays, many may find it more convenient to postpone the vaccine until September. But if the desire to get vaccinated drops too much, it will be necessary to change, using active call strategies: going to look for the people who are missing the call. It will be necessary to call, explain, convince. If that is not enough, the next step, which some countries are already taking, is that of incentives. There the imagination can indulge itself. I don’t know if it will also arrive in Italy. The important thing is to organize in time and not allow the campaign to slow down for too long “.