(I’ve quote just two paragraphs I want to address; if this is unacceptable, I’m sure a mod will let me know?)
Right.
When you say, "Sure, there are the vulnerable, " as if these people are a rare aberration among an overwhelmingly robust population, and then you go on to a) dismiss them and b) assume that a young woman who looked healthy to you can’t number among them or their household members, you can see where some of us might feel disregarded, surely. And hospitals (and doctors’ offices) are places the vulnerable are most likely to be unable to avoid.
Mr. Legend is under treatment, so far successful, to delay the progress of Stage 4 cancer. His oncologist has asked him to please not get Covid if at all possible. Our adult daughter, who lives with us, is in excellent health, and I’d bet that most of the people in the school where she works don’t know about her dad’s condition. She’ll be wearing a (high-quality N95) mask until she’s reasonably certain she won’t be regularly exposed to a novel virus that plays havoc with the immune and cardiovascular systems.
Because we’re all vaccinated fully, we have relaxed to some degree from the earlier days. We go out occasionally, we now don’t worry about masking on walks, and we have people from our close circles who are similarly careful over to our house. Far fewer people are being hospitalized or dying from it now. But there are no good numbers for the community transmission levels anymore, and I hear over and over about acquaintances who’ve come down with it. I’m hoping some of the ongoing vaccine research bears fruit so that we have better protection. Then maybe I won’t mask everywhere.
In the meantime, if it makes you sad that you can’t see the lower half of my face, feel free to look away.