# Do you still mask? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [December 14, 2022, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491 "2022-12-14T02:06:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/61 "2022-12-15T19:26:06Z")
I mask at the doctor’s office. No where else. If asked to mask, I will comply. I figure if I get Covid, I get it. I just had the booster shot, so whatever happens… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/62 "2022-12-15T20:45:02Z")
That’s me too. I’ll happily comply w any local laws, regs, or any business’s requirements. But I don’t think society at large in any country, and especially not in the USA, is willing to wear masks in public nearly everywhere for nearly everyone for the next hundred or thousand years. And if 95%+ percent won’t, I’ll be part of that 95%. If we get another round of any severe disease scything through the populace I’m ready to re-mask full time for my and/or for everyone else’s benefit. Until then … ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/63 "2022-12-15T20:58:15Z")
Generally, no. I will mask if required at work (which is only if our county infection rate goes higher than “medium”) and at locations where it is required. I’ll also mask if I have a cold in order not to spread that around to others. That’s a post-pandemic trend that I hope increases here in the US., it’ll really cut down on the spread of flu, colds, etc. I really hope everyone masking everywhere all the time does not become a thing, because it is a pain in the as as a hearing-impaired person who relies on lip reading! ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/64 "2022-12-15T21:11:54Z")
Yes, but… As background I’ve had two vaccines, two boosters and the flu shot, and I had Covid in August, but I don’t think I’ve had any symptoms last until now. I’m planning on getting a bivalent Pfizer booster in January, when it’ll be five months since my infection. I still wear a mask when I’m inside a mall or on public transport. That said, I’ve gone places that are comparitively high-risk (a few comicons) and I find myself taking it off. Because it’s just a colossal pain in the ass trying to talk to people otherwise. I guess this is where I’ve settled in terms of risk; I accept that it’s going to be around for years, I’m doing as much as I can medically to prevent it, and I’m keeping myself as healthy as I can otherwise. While I would never refuse to wear a mask if I were requested to do so in a given situation, this is where I’ve landed after three years of all this. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/65 "2022-12-16T02:27:58Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > Because it’s just a colossal pain in the ass trying to talk to people otherwise. I suggest you try a mask that doesn’t touch your mouth. I like the KF94 “boat style” masks. I talk to people all the time while wearing a mask. I went to the office today to meet with people, and wore a mask at every meeting. I chatted with people in the hallways. No problems. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/66 "2022-12-16T02:33:28Z")
I taught university classes with a mask. No problem. ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/67 "2022-12-16T03:35:40Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > I’m masking according to local conditions similar to what’s described in this YLE post below. When cases are low in the area, I mask less and do more things involving crowds, but when cases are up, I mask often and avoid crowds, especially indoors. I stay up to date with boosters This is pretty much what I do. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/68 "2022-12-16T03:39:01Z")
I mask in medical offices and in crowds. But if I am dropping into a convenience store for a soda, and there is only one other person in there- no. I always carry a mask, however. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/69 "2022-12-17T02:55:28Z")
Quoting myself for context … > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Just about every country my employer services, over 100, have withdrawn masking requirements in airports and on airplanes. In response to spiking COVID cases, a couple of days ago the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon has instituted an mask mandate for all indoor public spaces such as malls, stores, & hotels within the state. It does not apply to airports because under Mexican law, the airports are regulated by the national / federal government, not by the states. Perhaps this is the first move back towards widespread public masking. In general Mexicans as people and Mexico as a multi-level fairly professional government have been more mask-tolerant and more mask-enforcing than most of the US at the same point in the pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![Yogeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yogeekgirl/32/4129_2.png) [@Yogeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yogeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/70 "2022-12-17T20:37:10Z")
Yes. Right now I am masking all the time in public since my Covid positive diagnosis, but before that I masked in most situations, besides my workplace. (Which is not open to the public and is not very crowded.) I’m definitely rethinking this because this is likely where I got exposed. I’m not facing a crowd of strangers for hours like I used to, but people are traveling and being more social for the holidays, and almost everyone has children to worry about. I’m definitely thinking about masking while I teach yoga these days, since I would like to continue teaching in person, once weekly classes to a small group. Pretty much everyone has had a bout with Covid but the contagiousness is no joke! ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/71 "2022-12-17T23:42:41Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Perhaps this is the first move back towards widespread public masking. In general Mexicans as people and Mexico as a multi-level fairly professional government have been more mask-tolerant and more mask-enforcing than most of the US at the same point in the pandemic. But the thing is, cases and deaths were higher during summer… 2022… than they are now. So it sort of seems like a timing thing, “feels like it’s time to be concerned again” than an actual reaction to data. My anecdata is that acquaintances were getting Covid at about the same rate more or less continually through the summer to today. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/72 "2022-12-18T01:04:24Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > But the thing is, cases and deaths were higher during summer… 2022… than they are now. …but the thing is: we don’t really know how many cases there are now because there are entire states that are no longer reporting case counts. > **[Many States Are Not Reporting The Latest COVID-19 Numbers](https://www.npr.org/2021/09/06/1034556227/many-states-are-not-reporting-the-latest-covid-19-numbers)** > > Officials in Nebraska recently stopped publishing county-level coronavirus data — citing privacy concerns. Public health experts say that's false and creates a dangerous blind spot. > **[Covid data disappearing in some states even as delta surges](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-data-disappearing-some-states-even-amid-delta-surge-n1277715)** > > As Covid case numbers rise nationwide, Georgia and some other states have restricted the case count data they share publicly. Just looking at the Worldometer dashboard: France reported 52,000 new cases, South Korea reported 66,000 new cases, Japan reported 158,000 new case, the US? 8629. [https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/) The CDC has moved to weekly reporting which explains the number above, but the 7-day average of 65,000 cases is still likely an undercount, especially considering the states that aren’t reporting properly are the most likely to be experiencing surges. It’s very difficult to “react to the data” when the data, by and large, is problematic. However it feels like its “time to be concerned again” because that’s what the CDC have suggested you do in the face of a “simultaneous uptick of three, highly contagious respiratory viruses.” > **[Winter surge in infections from RSV, flu, and COVID straining U.S. hospitals](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/winter-surge-in-infections-from-rsv-flu-and-covid-straining-u-s-hospitals)** > > The White House is warning of a surge of illness this holiday season, as the country deals with the simultaneous uptick of three, highly contagious respiratory viruses. Hospitals across the country are filling up with patients suffering from flu, RSV... ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/73 "2022-12-18T01:06:24Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …but the thing is: we don’t really know how many cases there are now because there are entire states that are no longer reporting case counts. And the state doesn’t always know when someone gets covid. You get a self-test (or don’t test because you’re quite sure you’ve got it) and you stay home and get better and there’s no record of your contracting the virus. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/74 "2022-12-18T01:37:48Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …but the thing is: we don’t really know how many cases there are now because there are entire states that are no longer reporting case counts. I have to ask. How does whether or not Nebraska reports affect someone in New Zealand? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/75 "2022-12-18T01:46:35Z")
The CDC is tracking sewage levels in several places, however. That’s not an absolute metric of how many people have covid, and it may not be completely consistent over time, as some strains may be more likely to be shed via the gut. But when sewage numbers go up, odds are frequency is increasing. (Especially if it’s more or less the same mix of strains.) And when sewage numbers go down, frequency is decreasing. The number of people hospitalized with covid is a lagging indicator, but it’s also a decent metric of whether there’s more of less of it around. And both of those metrics indicate that the frequency of covid is increasing. Hardly surprising for a respiratory virus to increase in America after Thanksgiving. But we have data to show it, it’s not just anecdotes or feelings. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/76 "2022-12-18T01:55:11Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > I have to ask. How does whether or not Nebraska reports affect someone in New Zealand? …I have to ask, in the context of this particular discussion, why would this matter? ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/77 "2022-12-18T02:28:59Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …but the thing is: we don’t really know how many cases there are now because there are entire states that are no longer reporting case counts. Per Worldometers, there was a peak in USA in Covid deaths in August, and a decline since then. Case numbers have never been completely reliable but death numbers are a lot better. We are not seeing anything close to August 2022. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/78 "2022-12-18T02:47:00Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Per Worldometers, there was a peak in USA in Covid deaths in August, and a decline since then. …the numbers coming from the USA are not accurate and haven’t been since Omicron started to peak. Deaths are measured inconsistently from state-to-state, released at different times, and provide an incomplete picture of the state of the pandemic. > [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Case numbers have never been completely reliable but death numbers are a lot better. Not a “lot better” at all. At the moment, the only real data I trust are the waste-water data. > [@Jay\_Z](#): > > We are not seeing anything close to August 2022. This is an arbitrary metric that, in the context of whether or not people should be masking up right now, isn’t particularly helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/79 "2022-12-18T03:42:53Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …the numbers coming from the USA are not accurate and haven’t been since Omicron started to peak. Deaths are measured inconsistently from state-to-state, released at different times, and provide an incomplete picture of the state of the pandemic. I’m disputing this claim. Back it up. The only two things I heard about death numbers around that time would be two things. One that we should still be concerned because X number of people were dying a day. The other was a question about Covid deaths being people who died of Covid as opposed to people who died with Covid. Reporting differences, if consistent, shouldn’t matter anyway. They’d be baked in across the board. Whether the “actual” number is higher or lower, I don’t see any reason to dispute the fact that deaths, however they were counted, peaked in August, and they are still significantly lower than that today. Yes I know that deaths are a lagging indicator. It’s still going to take quite a while to catch up to August 2022. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/80 "2022-12-18T03:58:20Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > I’m disputing this claim. Back it up. …sure. ["“Probable Deaths”: This number includes individuals who are antigen positive or individuals with compatible illness and known close contact to a case that were either reported to DPH as deceased by healthcare providers or medical examiners/coroners, identified by death certificates with COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death, or there is evidence that COVID contributed to the individual’s death OR individuals with a death certificate that has COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death and there is no laboratory evidence for SARS-CoV-2. "](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971221010079) > [@from the abstract](#): > > We identified the methods states use to report COVID-19 deaths on their dashboards, then compared state-reported data collected by CDC in its COVID Data Tracker against data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)’s national review of death certificates measuring deaths from COVID-19. Comparing state data against this standardized national dataset allowed us to see if state definitions affected their reporting. > > … > > Rather than certain methods leading to systematic overcounts of COVID-19 deaths, it appears some methods could be especially prone to undercounts. Only states using death certificate reviews had counts substantially higher than NCHS data, and since NCHS also uses death certificates, the difference appears to be a matter of the faster speed of state review. Meanwhile, many states using different methods have discovered they missed large quantities of COVID-19 deaths in their counts. The CDC should have provided leadership to states on how they should report COVID-19 deaths to avoid any preventable undercounts, and public communication to quell misinformation about overcounts. > [@Jay\_Z](#): > > The only two things I heard about death numbers around that time would be two things. One that we should still be concerned because X number of people were dying a day. The other was a question about Covid deaths being people who died of Covid as opposed to people who died with Covid. What does it matter what _you_ heard about death counts at a particular point in time? > [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Reporting differences, if consistent, shouldn’t matter anyway. They matter if you care about the current state of the pandemic. > [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Whether the “actual” number is higher or lower, I don’t see any reason to dispute the fact that deaths, however they were counted, peaked in August, and they are still significantly lower than that today. Yes I know that deaths are a lagging indicator. It doesn’t matter if they peaked in August. Are we currently experiencing a simultaneous uptick of three, highly contagious respiratory viruses? If yes, then wearing a mask shouldn’t be a silly thing to consider. > [@Jay\_Z](#): > > It’s still going to take quite a while to catch up to August 2022. It doesn’t matter if we ever “catch up to August 2022”. That isn’t a metric that matters here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491.md?page=5)