Dear Mr. Bain, whatever it is you got, they got shock therapy for that.
Did no one look at the date? This happened a year ago.
Dang; you’re right!
So?
Yes, but did he get smarter in the past 12 months? I bet the answer is no.
Can we start a rumour that trephination is the best way to protect one from vaccine shedders?
So here’s a serious question, now that we’re almost 700 posts and one year into this thread.
I’ve been vaccinated for months now. My wife, too. Over 100 million Americans have been, too. At what point do we stop being the asshole for not wearing a mask anymore?
I’m not talking about the establishments where they require one. It’s their house, their rules. Fine. I’m talking about all those places in public where there’s no one to enforce a rule except cops. No authority other than the law. Busses, sidewalks, elevators here and there. Businesses that have no policy for such a thing.
Four months ago, if someone asked me to put on a mask and I refused, I’d’ve been the jerk. How much longer until they become the jerk for asking?
When Americans aren’t dying by the thousands. Which may well be a century from now.
There’s a huge difference between buses and elevators on the one hand, and sidewalks on the other. Elevators are in buildings that generally have capacity and masking policies for the entire building. Buses are part of transit systems that also have such policies. And that’s for good reason. Mass transit, unregulated, is a constant source of cross-contamination. One sneeze in an elevator can infect anyone in it who is vulnerable. You don’t know who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t.
Sidewalks, being in the open air, are much less dangerous. That’s why the CDC has said it’s acceptable for vaccinated people to walk outdoors, outside of groups, without a mask.
When the CDC says it’s safe. And you aren’t sick.
Though Fauci apparently is saying we may have to wear masks seasonally when out in public. Current predicted vaccine acceptance levels aren’t high enough for herd immunity (so we can’t eliminate the virus) and I think the variants may also play a factor.
It will, of course, never be a jerk move to merely ask someone to wear a mask.
That said, you are allowed to not wear one if you have a small gathering with other vaccinated people. That’s progress.
One must wear a mask when riding public transportation in my city. The busses even have a sign on front saying, “NO MASK - NO RIDE” It’s actually mandated by the TSA since our busses and trolley get federal subsidies.
And I’m vaccinated. I’ll continue to wear a mask as long as they are recommended or the policy of the location where I am.
You do know you can still catch Covid19 and pass it on while being fully vaccinated, right? To someone vaccinated but it didn’t “take” enough, someone who couldn’t get vaccinated (allergic?) or even other people who are fully vaccinated so only catch a mild case but pass it on to… because you have no idea how vaccinated you really are. Plus the variants that so far have been kept at bay by being vaccinated… but they keep brewing and spreading from lack of vaccination and no vaccine is 100%.
Until herd immunity is “here” which, with world wide travel could take years, I plan on wearing a mask any time I am exposed to more than my “bubble”.
- I love the idea of "keep back 6’ " because I really don’t like people up in my face*, 2) masks hide my resting bitch face so I don’t have to worry other people think I’m being crabby at them, 3) I can cough all I want when my allergies are bothering me! 4) I can hide my adult acne breakouts behind a mask instead of slathering cover-up makeup on… otherwise I worry folks might think I’m a meth-head.
*6’ is now really not enough indoors but… wearing masks can help.
Yup. People who want masklessness to become the near-universal norm again need to focus on persuading the vaccine-refusers in their circles to get their shots. Not just complain about how masklessness norms aren’t being restored quickly enough and they’re tired of it. If we want to be able to fully discontinue pandemic public-health protocols, then we need to end the pandemic, duh.
Until then, the polite and civic-minded thing to do is to comply with the protocols (with due allowance made for things like the relaxation of protocols for vaccinated people out-of-doors in non-crowded conditions), and also comply with polite requests for additional precautions.
That said, the most polite way for people to ask others to mask or distance is to present it as a suggested restriction on one’s own behavior. “Oh thank you, I’d love to come to your party, but I’m afraid I still have to stick to masked-and-distanced for indoor gatherings.” “Let’s step outside so I can answer your questions without having to bother about masks.”
That sort of thing, rather than saying “Would you please wear masks if I’m going to be at your party?”, or “Would you please put a mask on while you’re talking to me?” Those requests aren’t exactly rude, but they’re not as gracious as the “here, let me change what I’m doing to accommodate you” versions.
I’m fully vaccinated. Also diabetic and have HBP. When the state of CA AND the rest of the US is vaccinated up to 80%, I will CONSIDER not wearing a mask in public places.
AAMOF, I get to work in the office in CA on July 12th— WITH a mask and social distancing rules.
I think that these rules should be mandatory through the damn awful globe we live on.
I used Google Maps to plan her drive from Anchorage to Juneau. It’s 19 hours long.
Strictly speaking, you can’t drive from Anchorage to Juneau. Your Google Maps route includes an 8 hour ferry ride from Haines, AK to Juneau. And guess what? The Alaska State Ferry system currently requires all passengers and staff to wear a mask.
IMHO, two things:
- Once everybody has had the opportunity to get vaccinated. Until then, you’re arguably a maskhole for not wearing a mask around people who haven’t yet been vaccinated, or who have been vaccinated so recently that they haven’t had time to develop full immunity, because they have no way of knowing that you’re healthy and non-infectious. (So, the relevant criterion isn’t how many have been vaccinated, but how many have not been.)
- Once we have enough experience to be reasonably sure that people who are vaccinated are safe from Covid (i.e. either from contacting it or from suffering serious effects from it).
Elevators have surprisingly little ventilation. That sneeze may well infect somebody who gets on a few minutes after the sneezer has gotten off.
That’s perfect. She couldn’t keep her mask on for a 4 hour flight, so now she has to wear one for 8 hours and drive another 11 miles.
Probablyand drive another 11 hours.
Yup. Thanks!