Free lectures》Fake babies and not wearing masks Maternal and Child Hospital Inspection Show~

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan was questioned for not wearing a mask when he inspected the Maternity and Children's Campus of Taipei United Hospital on November 2. Netizens mistook the demonstration baby model for a real baby. City spokesperson Wei Wenxuan used photos to clarify that this misunderstanding should be corrected. However, other people in the camera were wearing masks, but the mayor was not wearing one. The city government explained that the hospital said it was not necessary to wear one. The model clarifies that the demonstration of medical protection that the chief minister should have is still absent.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan was questioned for not wearing a mask while inspecting the outpatient clinic of the Maternity and Children's Hospital. The picture shows Jiang Wanan. (Photo taken from Taipei Photojournalist Association)

Wei Wenxuan said that what she inspected was the demonstration site of the Novice Family Safe Parenting Consultation Clinic. The floor was not yet open and there were no patients or family members. Jiang Wanan had recovered from his throat discomfort and had asked many times whether he needed to wear a mask. These explanations are enough to clarify that there was no real baby contact at the scene, but they cannot reduce the mask issue to whether the hospital has mandatory requirements. The visit to the Maternal and Child Hospital was originally an opportunity to demonstrate health protection to the public.

The CDC recommends that people wear masks when entering hospitals; those with respiratory symptoms should still wear them when entering medical institutions within 5 days after symptoms subside. When Jiang Wanan attended the mayor's debate on October 31, he said his throat was still hoarse. On November 2, the city government said he had recovered. Public information does not indicate when the symptoms will be relieved, and the word "recovered" cannot replace this specific protection recommendation.

The hospital's mask measures have been changed from mandatory to risk-based recommendations, and hospitals can make judgments based on different sites. The mayor's repeated inquiries showed that he knew that masks were worthy of consideration; since other attendees were wearing them, wearing them on his own initiative was far more consistent with the public health model of maternal and child care than explaining afterwards why he could not wear them. The minimum requirements allowed by the hospital may not be the most suitable choice for the chief executive.

The online post that mistakenly identified the fake baby is inaccurate, and the photo rebuttal is a legitimate clarification. If the city government regards this photo as the end point of all doubts, it will blur two different issues: the fake baby is about whether the accusation is true, and the mask is about the protective attitude when entering medical facilities. Using the former to relieve the latter will lose the opportunity to demonstrate epidemic prevention habits to the public.

When the mayor inspects the hospital, the most convincing image should be that the chief and medical staff follow the protection recommendations together, rather than the spokesperson explaining a special exception afterwards. Why should the mayor be the one who needs to say otherwise when everyone else is already wearing a mask?

(The author is a retired person)