Yeah, so the flight was about 90% unmasked. Airport was mostly unmasked, but more like 75-80%. It was a bit surreal after all these years. Saw a news crew (unmasked) reporting at the airport about the changes.
I know. I was planning on going on a train trip with my Dad and this is a bit of a downer. On the bright side, Amtrak claims they have a good filtration system so maybe it will be fine.
Duh!! Yeah, this is a very good point 
. Dunno if Amtrak is still following their older practice of having people share tables with strangers. That was always part of the fun, at least the few times I’ve travelled as an adult, without kids with me.
The viewing car is still a concern, and that’s where we’d be likely to want to spend a longer time than just for a meal.
It just seems a little off kilter. 3100 people killed by terrorists about a dozen years ago and we’re still undergoing inspections marginally less invasive than my last proctological exam, but a million Americans dead from Covid 19 over the last two years and it’s all “We don’t need no stinkin’ masks!” Where’s your sense of risk assessment?
A million dead during a time when most people (around here anyway) were wearing masks as recommended. Personally, I’m very skeptical of the effectiveness of masks in preventing covid transmission. (everyone I know who got COVID was a mask wearer). I wore a mask when required or requested for two years. I will still do so, but only where required or requested. If I have a choice, I’m not wearing a mask.
The GOP made its risk assessment. It decided going along with Trump’s culture war was - politically - safer than speaking out against him.
While you may be skeptical about the efficacy of masks, I’ll post a nice recent article for others:
I’ll note that “mask-wearers” who got covid could mean just about anything.
And people die while wearing a seat belt in cars with ABS brakes …
My youngest and her fiancé were probably the most cautious folk I knew for most of the past 2 years. A couple of weeks ago the decided to get married and take a trip to Puerto Rico. They both came down w/ covid shortly after their return.
I didn’t ask when they masked during the trip and, of course, no telling whether they caught it on the plane.
My wife and I are getting to the point where we almost feel like the odd men out, for not having had covid at least once!
I hear ya! My gf has had two vaccines and a booster, I’ve had two of each (all Pfizer). We’ve been pretty cautious, but flew to St Martin and back and partied hard while down there.
No COVID-19 here.
Puerto Rico’s cases are rising faster than anywhere in the US. I guess because they’ve completely opened up and it’s been tourist season. The good news is that their hospitalizations are still pretty low. They have a high vaccination rate.
Nobody on my dad’s side of the family, at least (don’t know much about my mom’s side in Poland), has gotten it yet, somehow. Or at least not that we know of. My parents aren’t vaxxed, either. (Though they are not COVID deniers – they wear masks whenever they go out and pretty much have limited their lives outside of their house.) Our kids’ school is mask-optional, but both have elected to wear masks. They’ve been tested many times, and there’ve been COVID outbreaks in their classes, but they’ve managed to not take it home yet. Who knows. Of my friends, I’d say maybe half of them had it, but even then it often remained isolated within an individual or two n the family that all lived together. It’s weird. I know I have been maskless within talking distance of a COVID positive person as recently as this January for an extended (over 2 hour) period of time. Like sitting across the table talking during dinner close. With that being Omicron, I was half-expecting to get hit, but nothing. Maybe the three vaccines are doing their job well; maybe luck; maybe both. It’s just odd.
Just back from St Martin. Although Omicron really slammed the island, they’ve bounced back nicely. Everyone is masked. Kids walking home from school are masked. Restaurants all had outdoor seating before, now the indoor areas are closed off.
It was very reassuring.
Yeah, fortunately vaccination/masking never got as radically politicized back home. The Big Deal was more about reopening regular activity including large gathering events.