Is the Government about to reintroduce a mask mandate for schools?

Developments suggest that is the plan.

Canadian viral immunologist Byram Bridle demonstrates the futility of mask wearing.

Yet another amendment order to the Covid-19 Public Health Response (Protection Framework) has been passed, tightening up rules on mask exemptions.

People requesting a card will now have to provide their identity and reason for not masking and new look cards have been issued. However, the old exemption cards appear to remain valid, and the process remains self-governed. This part is unlikely to be reported or mentioned by the Government or media.

This is secondary legislation, and therefore does not undergo public or parliamentary scrutiny. Some legal professionals believe the new order will create a lot of confusion because exemption cards are not legally required to prove exemption, they are simply a communicative aid.

The activist group Voices For Freedom, which includes two trained lawyers as well as a wider ad hoc legal support network, says the original communication card, which has so far remained consistent in its appearance, is valid and lawful.

“However, the government has deliberately created confusion and the belief anyone wishing to not wear a mask must use an exemption card and that it must be this new mask exemption pass,” the group says.

The new mask exemption cards feature the person’s identity and look markedly different from the previous ones.

There is also more information now provided by Ministry of Health on its mask exemption page, advising the public how to “overcome” barriers to masking.

“In general, you should wear a face mask whenever you can. The Covid-19 virus is transmissible by droplets, so face masks are a way we can protect ourselves and each other.”

It’s not mentioned that viruses are transmissible by aerosol, much smaller particles, which masks are defenceless against. Even if found on the surface of a droplet, a droplet is much smaller than the pore-size of a surgical mask.

PANDA says the available literature indicates little scientific evidence that mask-wearing among the general public curbs disease spread and that there is mounting evidence for the potential harms of mask wearing.

Under the section titled ‘I have difficulty breathing, and this makes wearing a face mask difficult’, the MOH reminds us that:

“It is common for people to feel like they are unable to breathe properly when wearing a face mask, however wearing a face mask doesn’t affect the ability for us to get air into our lungs.” (emphasis mine).

So: it may ‘feel’ like you can’t breathe, but that’s just your body giving you misinformation, ignore that. You can still get some air. You should wear a facemask whenever you can.

The MOH suggests doing breathing exercises while wearing a mask to help get used to the reduced oxygen flow, by re-focussing attention on the abdomen rather than on the throat and chest. It’s reassuring to know Ministry officials have their priorities in order, isn’t it?

While we don’t hear many dissenting professional voices in New Zealand (of course we do have NZDSOS), because in doing so, people risk their practicing licenses and social ridicule, in the US, and many other places, a more frank discussion is often had.

Dr Avery Jackson, a neurosurgeon from Michigan, says any kind of oxygen restriction can have negative effects on the brain, reduce neural activity and increase anxiety and learning problems in some people.

Jackson says masks are especially dangerous for children, who’s brains are still developing, because masks force people to re-inhale their exhaled carbon dioxide repeatedly. Carbon dioxide is known to be harmful to the brain.

An anesthesiology study recently found that patients being given oxygen using an oxygen mask over a surgical mask, had significantly lower levels of oxygen after five minutes and high carbon dioxide levels.

The media push for a schools mask mandate has come at the same time as tighter rules come into force.

One of Europe’s leading neurologists, Dr. Margarite Griesz-Brisson has said: “The rebreathing of our exhaled air will without a doubt create oxygen deficiency and a flooding of carbon dioxide. We know that the human brain is very sensitive to oxygen deprivation.”

Some neurons in the hippocampus can’t survive more than three minutes without an adequate supply of oxygen. So what of the long term effects of masking on the population, and more importantly, our children?

We haven’t even touched on the psychological impact, the inhalation of microplastics, or the creation of an environment suitable for bacterial growth in the respiratory tract … or how unethical it is to use children as shields.

But in the last few days since the mask rules changed, there was a noticeable uptick in pro-masking in schools commentary.

There is a public petition to enforce mask use in schools, an open letter from doctors, the disability commissioner wants a mandate in educational settings, principles and teachers want a mandate (something I find terrifying. How can they not be more concerned about the needs of children?). Even the Green Party are ready in a timely manner to push this anti-child policy.

Otago University’s Morgan Godfery penned an op-ed in Stuff arguing mask should be mandated in schools because teachers are catching covid at a faster rate than the national average, something he described as an “unacceptable inequity”.

Some of the comments responding to Godfery’s tweeting on the issue, were gunning for even the youngest school kids to be masked. I would just like to add here that attempting to regulate anyone’s ability to breath is sick, but masking small children is outright abuse, both physically and psychologically. God forbid we normalise this behaviour. But that is exactly what is being attempted. They’ll have us masked every winter to prevent regular colds and flues if we don’t stop complying.

“But it’s now up to Chris Hipkins, who is also the Minister for the Covid-19 response, to take those steps. Is he brave enough to follow the evidence?,” Godfery concludes.

All in all, the stage has been set – or astroturfed – for the reintroduction of masks in schools. The ‘experts’ all agree. The Government must relent.

Apart from a few bizzare gung-ho commenters on social media, a glaringly absent group from this list of pro-maskers, is parents. And of course children themselves. Some may want to wear a mask because of peer pressure and the need to fit in, but they are hardly begging to be masked.

A note for parents, you can exempt your child from mask wearing at school, no reasons need to be specified.

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