A recent poll by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK showed 55% of people were wearing masks just as often now as when government guidance was in place during the pandemic, with just 8% having stopped altogether.
People in Japan who became so used to wearing face masks during the pandemic are signing up for lessons to teach them how to smile again. While the coverings were already common in the east Asian country pre-COVID, with many using them to combat seasonal illnesses and hay fever, their use skyrocketed when it became official government guidance to wear them during the worst of the outbreak.
Many people wouldn’t be seen in public without a mask, with the practice becoming near-universal after the virus emerged more than three years ago.
With the government having finally lifted its recommendation to wear masks in March 2023, Himawari Yoshida was among those who realised they had rather forgotten how to go about life without them.
source: Sky News
Match the words with their synonyms.
| 1 | to emerge | a | to fight |
| 2 | to combat | b | to shoot up |
| 3 | to sign up | c | to exist |
| 4 | to skyrocket | d | to register |
| 5 | to be in place | e | to appear |
Key: 1-e, 2-a, 3-d, 4-b, 5-c;
poll – sondaggio
to be in place – essere in vigore
pandemic – pandemia
to sign up – iscriversi
covering – che copre
common – comune
to combat – combattere
seasonal illness – malattia stagionale
hay fever – febbre da fieno
to skyrocket – andare alle stelle, balzare alle stelle
outbreak – ondata, scoppio, epidemia
in public – in pubblico
near-universal – quasi universale
to emerge – emergere
recommendation – raccomandazione
to go about life – andare avanti nella vita
