Tweet of the Week #66: Amidst Coronavirus Fears, Twitter Shares How (Not) To Wear A Surgical Face Mask

In Asia, wearing a surgical face mask in public is socially acceptable. People do so for a lot of reasons, such as to protect their personal space, hide a pimple or skip their make-up routine. Historically, the mask culture appeared first as a common courtesy, to prevent your germs from spreading around when you’re sick. And for a while, doctors weren’t sure mass-produced masks for the public were that really efficient to prevent catching the latest virus going around.

Turns out, worn correctly, masks *do* help

Studies go as far as saying you’re 80% less likely to catch the flu if you properly wear your mask.

But as the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan China has spawned fears of a pandemic across Asia, people are showing revolutionary ways to max up their protection to 100%, as demonstrated here by @miimoti.

今朝テレビでこの画像みて、マスクの付け方の可能性無限大やなと思った。 pic.twitter.com/44azrf6nTn

— うちでのこづち (@miimoti) January 23, 2020

今朝（けさ）テレビでこの画像（がぞう）みて、マスクの付（つ）け方（かた）の可能性（かのうせい）無限大（むげんだい）やな*と思（おも）った。）やな*と思（おも）った。

= This morning, watching this image on TV, I thought ways of wearing masks are limitless. 

(やな imitates the Kansai accent. In standard Japanese, it’d be だな).

Well, it’s at least guaranteed no one will dare come cough near him!

Of course, Twitter peeps were quick to add some variations of their own.

無限大ですね！ pic.twitter.com/E1AnWKWJ0q

— 新名タカヤ (@takaya_niina) January 25, 2020

無限大ですね！

= Limitless indeed! 

You can read on the screenshot:

新品（しんぴん）のマスクを袋（ふくろ）から取（と）り出（だ）すのが苦手（にがて）でいつもこうなる

= I’m not good at taking out a new mask from its wrapping so it always ends up like this. 

その通りです pic.twitter.com/qiHhuizqy1

— akem @NANA MIZUKI LIVE RUNNER 2020ナゴヤドーム参戦 (@bloodc4466) January 25, 2020

その通（とお）りです

= Exactly. 

Japan’s unprecedented mask shortage

With Japanese evacuees from Wuhan taken to hospital, people’s fear went up a notch. From Sapporo to Hiroshima, people are now reporting a mask shortage at their local drugstores and supermarkets. In some places, store owners had to limit their clients from buying more than one box at a time.

Too little too late, as business savvy peeps sniffing a good opportunity, raided physical and online stores to resell their stocks… Three or four times the regular price.

Nothing like fear to make good money.

I saw it “on” TV

で isn’t one of Japanese’s most complex particles, but refreshing your memory never hurts.

First, remember で has two main jobs, that is 1) indicating the place where an action takes place and 2) how the action was performed.

Here are real-life examples from a regular day at a Japanese office:

ファクスで書類（しょるい）を送（おく）ってください。= Please send the documents by fax.

同僚（どうりょう）と会（あ）いたくないので、トイレで昼食（ちゅうしょく）をとります。= I don’t want to see my colleagues, so I eat lunch in the toilets.

By now you have spotted at least a third usage of the particle で, which is indicating a cause or reason.

雪（ゆき）で電車（でんしゃが止（と）まっている= The train is stopped because of the snow.

In Japanese grammar, で has actually several more meanings that are kind of variations of the method an action or something is “done”.

• Origins as in 木（き）で机（つくえ）を作（つく）りました = this table is made of wood.”
• State or condition as in “裸（はだか）で寝（ね）ます = I sleep (in the state of being) naked.”

Vocabulary

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