Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When the community transmission rate where I live falls below 10 cases per 100,000 population. I think there should be some metrics around this decision; it shouldn’t just be based on feelings. My family is vaxxed/boosted. No one in my house has had it yet (knock wood). We go to stores, school events, work, travel some, and basically live our lives, but wear masks. When omicron surged we upgrade to better masks and suspended indoor dining.

I know there is nothing magical per se about the 10/100000 but it keeps me from making exceptions based on emotion and is an easy bright line rule for me and m family. If I’d already had omicron I would have a different threshold.

Isn't it possible we will never be below 10 / 100,000?

That seems highly likely. Look at endemic seasonal flu rates- they’re well above the 10/100,000 metric. Why would we expect covid to be so much less common?

Anonymous wrote:“Fully vaccinated” — only if you had a booster within the last four months. Check the percent of people who fall in that category, it’s much lower than you would think. A lot of people don’t understand that nuance at all.

Sure, but how long do we have to keep going based on booster status? I got the booster but I don’t know if I would get another one, unless it becomes like the flu shot that you get once per year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I know there are a lot of people on this board who aren’t from the DC area and I’m curious where OP and a lot of other posters to this thread live. Here in the DC area I still see tons of people wearing masks and I just don’t hear that much complaining or asking when other people are going to stop. You certainly don’t get funny looks if you wear one and no one has ever asked me when I plan to stop.

OP here. DC area, born and raised.

Yes about 80% of people are masked still in stores and things, but it seems like most are doing it because everyone's doing it, and people are waiting for others to make the move to stop wearing them before they follow suit. I just don't see the sense in it anymore. Vaccinated people are very, very rarely experiencing severity and to continue to insist on masking for healthy people is becoming absurd.

Real question: If 80% of people are masked, why are you assuming that they’re “doing it because everyone’s doing it”? I get that you, personally don’t see the sense in it, and you’ve explained why, but when you see me wearing a mask while I shop for groceries, what makes you think you have any idea at all why I’m doing it? Are you simply assuming that most people feel and act like you — or are you basing this on something else?
FWIW, most of the people I know are basing their decisions on a wide variety of factors and personal calculations of risks to themselves, family members, and the community as a whole — rather than on official rules, even though they have complied with the guidelines.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a store, airport, metro, or crowded area - for a long time. Maybe forever. People are nasty.

At work where everyone is 3x vaccinated, and we have no Covid spread, I'm finished wearing a mask as of today.

+1 made me realize my elevator I enter every day there’s no telling what someone did or hacked up seconds before I enter. Think about it a tiny cube hundreds stand in every day. Yuck! Mask please.

Sorry but no. This is a perfect example of someone suffering from real pandemic PTSD. I will not make myself uncomfortable to support this.

People don’t realize what happens to their immune systems when they’re not constantly exposed to low levels of germs. I think our next biggest health crisis will restrict because we’re sterilized our worlds. There have been numerous articles about how this is particularly harmful to young children.

So masks aren't effective at stopping covid, but create a sterile bubble for my immune system? Either have your cake or eat it, not both.

OP here. I'm not sure at what point you decided to view masks, or anything in life, as so binary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a store, airport, metro, or crowded area - for a long time. Maybe forever. People are nasty.

At work where everyone is 3x vaccinated, and we have no Covid spread, I'm finished wearing a mask as of today.

+1 made me realize my elevator I enter every day there’s no telling what someone did or hacked up seconds before I enter. Think about it a tiny cube hundreds stand in every day. Yuck! Mask please.

Sorry but no. This is a perfect example of someone suffering from real pandemic PTSD. I will not make myself uncomfortable to support this.

People don’t realize what happens to their immune systems when they’re not constantly exposed to low levels of germs. I think our next biggest health crisis will restrict because we’re sterilized our worlds. There have been numerous articles about how this is particularly harmful to young children.

So masks aren't effective at stopping covid, but create a sterile bubble for my immune system? Either have your cake or eat it, not both.

Baltimore suburbs. Stopped wearing them when mask mandate ended. I still carry a mask just in case I need to speak to someone to return something, if they are masked I'll put on the mask out of courtesy. If not, I don't put it on.

What I've noticed: Wegmans in Hunt Valley - all employees are masked, 80% of customers are masked. Trader Joe's in Towson - most employees are not masked, I'd say 60% of shoppers are masked. Eddies on Charles Street: all employees and 90% of customers are masked. Home Depot and Lowes: 50/50 masked unmasked. Smaller stores: most aren't masked.

Agree many people still wear masks even if they think it's silly because they're afraid of being judged. I remember reading a commentary at the beginning of the pandemic that predicted it would be much harder to get people to give up the masks then it was to get them to wear the masks and put it down to fear of judging.

Unless/until COVID becomes and is treated as endemic, and having it does not mean my kid is out of school for a week or more, I will be wearing masks indoors and avoiding indoor dining. Once we reach that point I will probably continue to mask on planes and at airports, but may drop masking in other public places.

I'm never the first one out of the gate for anything. I'm gonna hang back, let those who want to go out and be maskless and do stuff and see what happens. I'm perfectly happy wearing a mask and my current lifestyle so it is really no sacrifice for me to watch and wait.

NP, in DC.

The sad truth is that I will continue to wear a mask indoors until a few extremely intense and sanctimonious people in my neighborhood stop (obviously after mandate is lifted -- right now I wear a mask because it's required). Just because I can't deal with them and I'd rather wear a mask than have one of them label me as an anti-masker and punish my family or my kids for it. There are two women in particular, plus one of their husbands, who are constantly on our neighborhood list serve, on Twitter, and on the Facebook pages for the school, who are basically looking for people to stop masking so they can ostracize them. I'm not kidding, one of them posted something to this effect on the list serve and while there was some push back, there were also lots of people seconding it.

So it's dumb but I feel like I have to wait until these people stop masking indoors and at school drop off in order to safely do so without social ramifications. There is a group of us who all think these people are awful and would like to stand up to them, but we aren't really sure where the balance of power in this area would align and I don't want to stick my neck out and then catch the brunt of the punishment. Also very worried about my kids' school experience because one of the women is very involved with the PTA and also I know some of the teachers live in the neighborhood and I really don't want our family getting labeled as anti-mask or Covid denying.

Yes, we are contemplating moving. It sucks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I know there are a lot of people on this board who aren’t from the DC area and I’m curious where OP and a lot of other posters to this thread live. Here in the DC area I still see tons of people wearing masks and I just don’t hear that much complaining or asking when other people are going to stop. You certainly don’t get funny looks if you wear one and no one has ever asked me when I plan to stop.

OP here. DC area, born and raised.

Yes about 80% of people are masked still in stores and things, but it seems like most are doing it because everyone's doing it, and people are waiting for others to make the move to stop wearing them before they follow suit. I just don't see the sense in it anymore. Vaccinated people are very, very rarely experiencing severity and to continue to insist on masking for healthy people is becoming absurd.

Only one more week in DC, OP (though many in my building’s gym have already stopped I continue to make if anyone else there is wearing one even though it’s a cloth mask just for show).

Cannot wait to work out mask-free.

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I know there are a lot of people on this board who aren’t from the DC area and I’m curious where OP and a lot of other posters to this thread live. Here in the DC area I still see tons of people wearing masks and I just don’t hear that much complaining or asking when other people are going to stop. You certainly don’t get funny looks if you wear one and no one has ever asked me when I plan to stop.

OP here. DC area, born and raised.

Yes about 80% of people are masked still in stores and things, but it seems like most are doing it because everyone's doing it, and people are waiting for others to make the move to stop wearing them before they follow suit. I just don't see the sense in it anymore. Vaccinated people are very, very rarely experiencing severity and to continue to insist on masking for healthy people is becoming absurd.

Was at Whole Foods Kentlands this morning and almost everyone was masked, but a few went without; it will probably take some time for people to get comfortable being maskless (in MoCo). I have to wear a mask for health reasons and after reading this thread I was paranoid that people were going to look at me with disgust, ha.

NP here. I know there are a lot of people on this board who aren’t from the DC area and I’m curious where OP and a lot of other posters to this thread live. Here in the DC area I still see tons of people wearing masks and I just don’t hear that much complaining or asking when other people are going to stop. You certainly don’t get funny looks if you wear one and no one has ever asked me when I plan to stop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does it bother you so much if I wear a mask in the Safeway? I will continue to do so until community spread is super low, as someone stated above. Honestly, you people who are pushing others to drop the mask are so weird.

Because I sincerely don't understand why people continue to wear masks indoors in these circumstances. I'll just ask - why then?

Because cases are not low, OP. People are still dying in large numbers. The USA has the highest Covid mortality of ALL wealthy nations, because its people are emotionally immature, refuse delayed gratification, are bad at math and are somewhat lacking in moral fiber.

You can choose to reject all these things, and never experience anyone in your circle dying from Covid. You may never catch Covid. You may have had a very mild case and believe that all cases are mild.

I don't care. I will do the right thing. You will do the wrong thing, persuaded you're not a bad person. We will agree to disagree.

You think that me not wearing a mask in Safeway, with NO indication or reason to believe that I'm sick with covid (or anything), makes me a bad person? Really? You actually believe this?

It’s 2022 and you’re still saying ignorant crap like this? Sorry you’re not very bright.

It's 2022 and you still think people not wearing masks in Safeway is the reason people are dying "in large numbers"? Snort. Sorry you're not very bright.

What is the reason? Truly curious.

NP. Unhealthy unvaccinated people.

Unvaccinated is an excuse. Most people here are vaccinated. Vaccinated spread Covid. It is airborne.

You should be trying to support people getting vaxxed and not denigrating the vaccine. By the numbers - any way you dice - it the unvaxxed who are the majority of the deaths and that’s even with the majority of the country being vaxxed.

The vaccine is only helpful to reduce the severity. It’s personal choice. No one should be bullied into it given the unknowns. If someone unvaccinated dies, why do you care? It’s on them. Or, do you feel guilty as you transmitted it to them and caused their death. Simply precautions like masking and distancing can prevent deaths too.

Once again, this is categorically false. Vaccines also reduce transmission. As of 1/22/22 CDC data (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#rates-by-vaccine-status)

Case rates:
Unvaccinated - 2054 per 100k
Vaccinated - 824 per 100k
Booster - 642 per 100k

I stopped wearing a mask indoors a year ago. I did start wearing one again from Dec-Jan when spread was high. Then I stopped wearing on in February after I got Covid (vaccinated and boosted). Now I have no plans to wear one again unless a business requires it.