Well, I have a bit of a bias after having been assaulted on my first post-vaccination road trip for being masked when stopping for a bio-break, contrary to local custom. While that’s not a concern in TSA-controlled space…heckling would be probable at the gathering I’m attending.
My own style is to avoid attracting attention. This particular trip is intended for me to get out of the house for a few days, away from work (which has been particularly chaotic for the past few weeks) and my caretaking duties.
Weighing the risk to my wife vs the stress of an extreme introvert attracting attention on what is intended to be a lower-stress mini-vacation (and when I’m under medical orders to reduce stress)…
Besides that…when I get back from this trip, and from a conference for work next week, she has a sequence of doctors appointments scheduled. Experience has shown, she’ll pick up something in the process (she’s decreed that she is done with masks until the next wave / the next plague)…or her contracting second-hand crud will give her a desired excuse to reschedule a few of them.
I did discuss the risks with her. She ended up observing that that which does not kill her only postpones the inevitable…and that if I had better go and relax…or else. So…
At the morning session of the thing I am attending, there is one masked person out of about 400-500.) He’s been busy responding to questions about his being masked. (Health reasons. He shouldn’t be here, but he’s a vendor / he’s been coming for years and couldn’t stand to miss it…)
I stand by my assessment of (risk from cooties) vs (an introvert’s stress from attention).
I was listening to an article about the John Birch society on the radio last night, and the parallels between the fuss over vaccination now and floridation then is striking.
Same people, too. In fact, the current right wing crazies are the direct descendants of the John Birch society, which carefully cultivated them.
I masked at the doctor’s office after someone sat down coughing next to me, and a baby’s parents were trying to get the baby’s temperature measured because they thought she had a fever. I was flying internationally for work in a few days so more cautious than usual.
Had to go out to the car to get it.
I’ll probably continue to mask in similarly rare situations. I’m otherwise done.
(I wore an N95 in the office for months last year, but a year later I’m not concerned)
I am currently not masking much, but will likely need to start masking soon due to medical condition.
Not really looking forward to the interactions. At least Minneapolis proper is not that bad, and lots of people still mask (and actually seeing a mask pre-pandemic was not that uncommon).
Ive flip flopped. I was going.to wear a mask everywhere,and did for a while. But the numbers here look stable and low so ive forgotten a few times and just kind of morphed into not wearing it a lot.
So much for my principles. Trampled by convenience.
My wife and I have essentially dropped to being masked only for doctor’s appointments. (In CT, the mask mandate for medical facilities was the last to be dropped. I’m not sure when it went away, but I think it’s only been in the past few months.)
Two of my wife’s doctor’s appointments ago, we went in masked…and the doctor asked us “you don’t need to be masked / would you feel more comfortable if I put on a mask?”.
I’m still going to mask when at non-specialist doctor’s offices, or in hospitals. Concern of exposure in such places squicked me before the pandemic, and my first case of COVID and my experience with RSV both originated from those venues.
(We’ll see how my conviction stands in a couple of weeks. I just got sentenced to do a nuclear stress test. While I am not normally bothered by masks…well, when doing yard work in the summer, I question whether discomfort from wearing the mask while hot and sweaty is worth the relief from annoying the allergies or dealing with dust.)
If my wife, with her lousy immune system, were more concerned, we’d be masking more. However, she was never really a fan of masking, and at this point she deems the risk worth the reduction in her discomfort.
Related trivia: At an appointment with my wife’s PCP a couple of days ago, she was informed that when she comes back in September-October, she’ll be given COVID, flu, and RSV vaccines.
I wore a mask during my wife’s appointment last month. Too many sick people running around those places.
Today went to doc in the box for what is likely sinus and chest infection. I planned to wear a mask due to my coughing anyway, and sign on outer door said “wear a mask for flu and covid symptoms”
No one looked at me sideways. Certainly seems expected in healthcare settings. Plenty of high-contact, non-healthcare service workers here wear masks too. I have newer seen anyone get pissy about it.
I’m kind of surprised. I thought masks in a health care setting would have been a forever change. For a while now, if you’re admitted to a hospital, you only have to wear a mask when a healthcare giver is present. We we decided to move my dad to palliative care, my sister and I stopped wearing a mask when visiting him. Because, what’s the point? I didn’t want his last memory of me to be wearing a mask.
Not masking much anymore but after the trauma of the early days of the pandemic I don’t think we’ll ever not have a big stash of masks. We have at least 100 N95s and 100 KN95s but the wife still considers ordering more.
I still wear mask on plane. I forgot one while at Griffith Observatory show. Guy next to me cough every 1-2 minutes for the entire 50 minutes. By the end he gave up covering up. I had my shirt pulled over my mouth with hand over it for last half hour.
TL;DR: In-N-Out burger chain will prohibit employees in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah from wearing masks unless they have a doctor’s note, according to leaked internal emails. The company cites the importance of customer service and the ability to show employees’ facial features while considering individuals’ health. The policy takes effect on August 14, and non-compliant employees may face disciplinary action, including termination. California and Oregon, where laws prevent employers from banning masks, will also have new guidelines, allowing employees to choose whether to wear masks. Public health officials criticize the policy, arguing that requiring a doctor’s note may burden some employees and could potentially violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.
