Masks During a Pandemic

woman wearing face mask
Type: Vocabulary
Originally published on September 18, 2020 and last updated on May 8, 2023

During a pandemic, many countries enforce the wearing of face masks to help stop the spread of a virus. The restrictions can differ from country to country, some countries require face masks only on public transport while other countries require face masks everywhere. Many people think that face masks are very important to help stop the spread of the virus, but there are some people who say that face masks do more harm than good.

Instructions:
Go through the vocabulary below with your students and ask them to try and use this vocabaulry where possible when discussing the different conversation questions.

Useful Vocabulary

Try and use the following vocabulary when answering the question. Click to look up the definition in the dictionary

  • pandemic (noun)
  • virus (noun)
  • beneficial (adjective)
  • compulsory (adjective)

Conversation Questions

My Image
  • How important is it for people to wear masks during a pandemic?
  • What do you think the negative effects of wearing face masks are?
  • What do you think the positive effects of wearing face masks are?
  • When do you think people should be forced to wear a face mask?
  • When do you think people should be free not to wear a face mask?
  • Why do you think face masks have not been enforced for viruses like seasonal flu?
Gregory
This conversation topic was prepared by Gregory

Gregory is a qualified TEFL teacher who has been teaching English as a Foreign Language (ESL) for over a decade. He has taught in-person classes in Spain and to English learners around the world online.