Reply to BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don’t think it’s a big ask for masks on public transportation. [b]It’s not a huge part of the day[/b] but it’s where many of us risk the most exposure.

If the earlier poster can’t comfortably do that [b]they can find alternatives[/b]. [/quote]

Both of the bolded above are ignorant statements based on your personal experience, and a lack of imagination about others.

I take a train to work every day and it is the only way to get there (I do not own a car). The train takes 40-60 minutes. I also have to mask at work. Wearing a mask on the train means wearing a mask for 10 hours a day, plus unlike at work, on the train it is hard to take a break if I need one. At work I can go outside for a few minutes. On the train I can maybe go in the bathroom, but if the issues is needing fresh air, this doesn't help!

What I do is look for the emptiest car I can and sit as far from other people as I can, so that I can sit without my mask. [b]If this isn't possible, I will wear a mask. And of course if I have symptoms I wear a mask, even if my Covid test is negative. But especially during my commute at the end of the day, my mask fatigue is real and intense, and when they finally lifted the mandate for masking on the train, it was such a relief to finally be able to take it off when I wanted to, when I had no symptoms.

I also test weekly (PCR) for work, so it's not like I'm being cavalier. And the thing is, I'm not even that worried about getting Covid (triple vaxxed, young and healthy) but I don't want to give it to anyone I work with or my family. I'm very cautious in general, but I do take a calculated risk on the train because from a mental health standpoint, I am at my max and can't do it anymore.[/b]

This is part of the problem with people who mostly work from home in white collar jobs dictating what the precautions should be. You all don't HAVE to work in person, take public transportation or travel a lot, deal with the public. It is so easy to say "Wear a mask! It's not hard!" when you only have to do it occasionally for short periods of time! Some of us have born the brunt of these restrictions for two years while you were comfortable at home, and now you want to complain about us for wanting to be allowed to make our own choices about risks that we face and you don't. It's really frustrating. I don't want Covid but I also don't want to spend every waking minute masking up to prevent it either, and I don't think it's reasonable to expect me to. I'm a person and this is inhumane.[/quote]

I  mostly work at home and am very COVID cautious, and I applaud you for doing the right thing. I wish more people would be like you in terms of erring on the side of caution if exposed or symptomatic. I'm also a big masker, but fully acknowledge that my hour in an N95 in the grocery store is my choice, but no one should be subjected to 10 hours in an N95 day after day. I've done it a few times when I had to work in person and I was a close contact of a positive family member, and it was absolutely brutal.

Of course, that also cuts both ways. Given how challenging wearing a high-quality mask for extended periods without a break is, should personal masking really be a reason for all of society to completely disregard all COVID measures, including testing and masking when symptomatic? Its like, "I can't wear a mask on the train for 10 days if my spouse has COVID because it's suffocating. However, you can feel free to wear one everywhere for the rest of your life."[/quote]

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