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.
When doctors, political leaders and front-line Covid warriors are desperately trying to make people understand the importance of wearing a face mask this dumb idiot is talking crap like masks are useless. pic.twitter.com/mIcPO5CEBX
— Vishwatma 🇮🇳 (@HLKodo) April 21, 2021
மக்கள் தொகை குறைய வேண்டும் என்பதில் உறுதியாக இருக்கும் இவருக்கு dr. பட்டம் தரலாம்…virus filter ஆகாமல் நேராக மூக்கின் உள்ளே நுழைய அனுமதி வேண்டும் என்று கேட்கிறார்…நடக்கட்டும்
— T.Anandh (@Tanand18261547) April 22, 2021
திருமாவளவனைப் போன்ற அரசியல் வாதிகளை வைத்துக்கொண்டு தமிழ்நாட்டை எப்படி முன்னேற்றமுடியும். உலகமே மாஸ்க் அணிவதே கொரோனாவுக்கு எதிரான ஆகச் சிறந்த பாதுகாப்பு என்று விஞ்ஞானபூர்வமாக மக்களிடம் விழிப்புணர்வை ஏற்படுத்திக்கொண்டிருக்கும் வேளையில் செந்திலுடன் சேர்ந்து திருமா உளறுவது அபத்தம்.
— S.Chithambaram (@ias1india) April 21, 2021