News Tamil Nadu

VCK chief Thirumavalavan peddles anti-mask rhetoric, says he does not believe wearing masks can prevent COVID

April 24, 2021
The Commune

At a time when the number of COVID cases has been rising exponentially across the state and the country, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol. Thirumavalavan has said that he does not believe that wearing masks can prevent the spread of the disease.

In an interview to a Tamil YouTube Channel named ‘Tamil Kelvi’, the Chidambaram MP said that wearing face masks does not prevent the spread or protect people from the disease and that the face masks themselves are like a virus net.

“I have a difference of opinion with respect to wearing face masks. Face masks are not a filter. It does have the ability to kill the virus. We are ‘rough using’ the masks. We are touching it with our hands, we are pulling it below. It touches the mouth and nose. We are wearing the masks like a virus net and we are getting the virus. In a way, it is getting misused. Hence, I don’t believe that wearing face masks can prevent the spread and protect people from the virus.”, VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan was telling Senthilvel, the anchor who was ousted from News 18 Tamil Nadu.

Many states across India are under the grip of the second wave of the pandemic with the health infrastructure facing extreme pressure due to rising patients. Some of the hospitals in the country face oxygen shortage due to patient overload.

Doctors, nurses, government officials and members of the civil society have been stressing on the importance of wearing masks, washing hands with soap, maintaining social distancing while venturing out and vaccinating in order to curtail the spread of the virus.

Many netizens condemned the statements Thol. Thirumavalavan who is not just a leader of a party but also a people’s representative for Chidambaram Lok Sabha constituency.