Adopting the mask-wearing culture
多国纷纷改口,呼吁民众戴口罩
At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, people wearing masks were rarely seen on the street in many Western countries.
新冠肺炎疫情暴发之初,在许多西方国家的街头几乎看不到有人戴口罩。
As the pandemic rages in Europe and the US, some countries and cities have rolled out mandatory rules or recommendations on wearing a mask in public, with louder calls from experts and significantly more people wearing masks than weeks ago.
随着疫情在欧美国家不断升级,一些国家和城市都推出了在公共场所强制佩戴口罩的规定或提议,与此同时,专家要求人们戴口罩的呼声日益强烈,与几周前相比,戴口罩的人也明显更多了。
Such a development represents a gradual shift from the old view of many that "face masks were only needed by special groups of people such as medical staff and the sick," commented Xinhua.
这种变化表明许多人都逐渐转变了自己的旧有观念——“口罩都是给医务人员或病人等特殊人群戴的,”新华社评论道。
Wearing a mask used to be stigmatized, but people are coming to realize that it can provide protection from infection.
戴口罩曾受到歧视,但如今人们逐渐意识到,戴口罩能够预防感染。
On April 4, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that he wore a face mask when shopping.
4月4日,葡萄牙总统马塞洛·雷贝洛·德索萨表示,自己购物时戴上了口罩。
"I wear a mask. This is an idea that came from my grandchildren. He learned from the Chinese example. China has another tradition of using masks," the 71-year-old president was quoted by the Lusa news agency as saying in a report.
“我戴了口罩。这是我孙辈的主意。他向中国学的,中国有戴口罩的不同习惯,”葡萄牙卢萨通讯社在报道中引用了这位71岁的总统在报告中所说的这段话。
On March 30, Austria introduced a regulation, which requires people to wear a face mask before entering supermarkets. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that the goal was for people to wear them elsewhere in public as well, according to China Daily. "I am fully aware that masks are alien to our culture," he said. "This will require a big adjustment."
3月30日,奥地利宣布了一项新举措,要求民众进入超市必须佩戴口罩。据《中国日报》报道,奥地利总理塞巴斯蒂安·库尔茨表示,这么做的目的是希望人们在其他公共场所也能戴口罩。“我完全意识到口罩与我们的文化格格不入,”他表示。“这需要进行一次大调整。”
Wearing masks became mandatory in the Czech Republic on March 18, and Prime Minister Andrej Babis has recommended this practice to European and US leaders.
3月18日,捷克开始要求民众必须佩戴口罩,捷克总理安德烈·巴比什也将这一举措推荐给了欧盟和美国领导人。
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) originally stated that "You do not need to wear a face mask unless you are caring for someone who is sick." However, contrary to their former guidelines, President Donald Trump said on April 3 that the CDC now recommends that people wear face coverings made of fabric or cloth, which can be made at home, when out in public.
美国疾病控制与预防中心一开始曾表示“除照顾病人外无需佩戴口罩”。然而4月3日,美国总统特朗普却改口表示,美国疾控中心如今建议民众外出时佩戴家庭自制的布口罩。
Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization health emergencies program, said on April 3 that the global health body supports governments in using masks as part of their anti-virus strategies.
世卫组织卫生紧急项目负责人迈克尔·瑞安4月3日表示,世卫组织支持各国政府将佩戴口罩作为各国防控疫情综合战略措施的一部分。
"There may be situations where the wearing of masks may reduce the rate at which infected individuals may infect others," Ryan said. "We will support governments who wish to have a measured approach to the use of masks and who include that as part of the comprehensive strategy to control this disease."
“可能在某些情况下,戴口罩能降低感染者传染他人的几率,”瑞安表示。“对于希望在口罩使用问题上采取慎重态度的政府以及将其纳入疾病全面防控战略的政府,我们都将表示支持。”