# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/81 "2022-12-18T04:00:35Z")
I’m an ER doc so I’m masking in public facing spaces at work. I’m also trying to use eye protection for all patient encounters but I sometimes forget that. In things like department meetings I don’t mask unless someone is sick because I have the luxury knowing that my coworkers are overwhelmingly vaccinated. I mask in stores. When I eat out I usually mask until I’m at my table and I try to sit away from other people. Right now I’m semi-isolating by avoiding stores and restaurants since I don’t want to bring any viruses, covid or otherwise, to my parents house at Christmas. ---
**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, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/82 "2022-12-18T04:29:04Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > It doesn’t matter if we ever “catch up to August 2022”. That isn’t a metric that matters here. Okay then. ---
**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, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/83 "2022-12-18T04:33:43Z")
You seem disproportionately concerned, is all. I mean, I live a few hundred miles from Nebraska, and their reporting scheme, or lack thereof, doesn’t affect me. IIRC, you live a few thousand miles away. I don’t understand how it could affect you. ---
**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, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/84 "2022-12-18T07:26:00Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > You seem disproportionately concerned, is all. …you seem disproportionately concerned with my concern. That seems…odd. > [@D\_Anconia](#): > > I mean, I live a few hundred miles from Nebraska, and their reporting scheme, or lack thereof, doesn’t affect me. IIRC, you live a few thousand miles away. I don’t understand how it could affect you. I mean, this forum is called “the Quarantine Zone”, and I’ve been involved in discussion since here since the start of the pandemic, and while the millions of dead worldwide and the continuing mass-disabling event that is going to have a substantial effect on world markets for the next few years may not “directly affect me”, it certainly indirectly affects me, so I don’t understand why talking about one aspect of all of this, in a thread that is discussing one aspect of this, affects you. ---
**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, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/85 "2022-12-18T13:15:27Z")
Moderating: Let’s get back to “do you still mask?” The stats in any country are obviously relevant to how people in that country might feel about masking, and “what do those stats mean today” is moderately relevant, but not the primary topic of this thread. And this is an international message board. Everyone is welcome to discuss any country. I was just about to go see if we have a thread on China dropping their restrictions, in fact … ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/86 "2022-12-21T00:07:10Z")
As for me, I’ve stopped masking anywhere that doesn’t require it, but will wear one without protest if requested. I’m currently 100% remote working and can arrange grocery trips when there will be fewer co-shoppers so distancing isn’t a problem. I’ve had covid, not sure which one, but probably omicron since that was the strain de jure a the time. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/87 "2022-12-21T02:32:39Z")
I just flew from San Francisco to Singapore. 17 hours nonstop. The flight attendants wore masks, but hardly anyone else did. This was on Singapore Airlines. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/88 "2022-12-22T00:29:07Z")
I have been masking in indoor places other than my own home throughout with extremely limited exceptions (small family gatherings where everyone had tested first and everyone had as many vaccinations as they were eligible for, eventually when we took a flight that was longer than I could go without food, I unmasked long enough to eat, that kind of thing). No indoor restaurants, except in Malta where vaccination uptake was in the 90+ percentile range and there were double digits of new cases in the whole country. I have crappy lungs and my father has been in the hospital since May, plus other family members with risk factors, so I am not taking any chances. This past weekend, facing the thought of a third winter in Chicago with no social contact, I had two friends over - we all tested negative first. The following evening, I went to my mom’s place for the first family Hanukkah celebration in 3 years. Again, everyone is fully vaccinated and tested negative first. Monday at 2:30 am I woke up with chills under a down comforter. Yep, bingo - I am currently on my maiden voyage with COVID. The only place I went during the incubation period was the grocery store in a KN95-equivalent mask. And I probably exposed 8 dear friends and family members during my most contagious period, all of whom have major risk factors or immediate family who do. My brother-in-law, for example, had diabetes and congestive heart failure, and one friend was just coming back from visiting his mother in memory care when I let him know (he was my first call when I got the rapid PCR results, but it was too late). I had been pondering occasionally having dinner parties with a select small group of cautious friends this winter, if everyone tested first, but now I am not so sure. My home test was negative less than 36 hours before my first symptoms. And I sure as hell will continue masking outside my own home. ---
**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 22, 2022, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/89 "2022-12-22T02:23:57Z")
Oof. Best wishes to you and those close to you. ---
**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 22, 2022, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/90 "2022-12-22T02:49:01Z")
Sorry to hear it. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/91 "2022-12-22T04:46:54Z")
Thanks. So far everyone else is OK, including **Tom Scud,** but we aren’t out of the woods yet. ---
**Author:** ![Mortimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/92 "2022-12-22T06:10:14Z")
I’m probably one of the few people who actually has a medical reason to not wear a mask. I have about 30% lung function due to a fairly rare condition. If I wear a mask I MUST also wear an oxygen cannula. For the most part, I don’t need the oxygen as long as I’m not wearing a mask. I generally only wear a mask when required. Once I get where I’m going I’ll ask if it’s okay to take the mask off. Usually it’s okay. If it’s not okay I just have to take my time, not move very fast and take frequent breaks. Wearing a mask with a cannula is extremely cumbersome, especially when I also have to wear eyeglasses. The mask ear loops, O2 hose and bottle, the bottle shoulder strap and glasses all get tangled up with damn near any movement I make. That’s a lot of crap hanging off my face and body. If I have to adjust any one thing, I also have to adjust everything else. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/93 "2022-12-22T16:55:51Z")
I’ve gotten as many shots as someone my age can. I voted no, but the real answer is no, except when required or I have no choice to go out _and_ my allergies flair to the point of having a runny nose because it’s hard to know if it’s a particularly bad allergy day or the beginning of an illness. People with symptoms that could be a cold or covid or the flu should definitely be masking still, but often don’t. ---
**Author:** ![dummygladhands71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/94 "2022-12-29T04:40:46Z")
elevators. Mask ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/95 "2023-01-03T00:25:06Z")
I’m still wearing a mask in public situations including at the docs’ office, supermarket and in restaurants before being seated and when exiting. Mostly it’s for whatever virion-dodging effect it affords me. A bonus is irritating the snot out of Covid deniers, who get in a tizzy seeing the Sheeple knuckle under to Fascist Oppression. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2023, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491/96 "2023-01-03T13:03:26Z")
They, for their millions, welcome their new viral overlords. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-mask/976491.md?page=4)