Covid-19

[RhodyYanksFan]

I've been one to "trust the science" through this whole thing, but I'm having trouble with the no need to wear masks indoors anymore part of it. Not so much for me, but for my unvaccinated kids. I don't want these anti-vaxxers to spread their dirty germs while my kids aren't masked up. So until they get their shot we will continue to eat outdoors and wear masks indoors.

[Texsahara]

I've been one to "trust the science" through this whole thing, but I'm having trouble with the no need to wear masks indoors anymore part of it. Not so much for me, but for my unvaccinated kids. I don't want these anti-vaxxers to spread their dirty germs while my kids aren't masked up. So until they get their shot we will continue to eat outdoors and wear masks indoors.

Why wouldn't your kids be masked up indoors if they aren't vaccinated? That's how it is supposed to go.

[Maynerd]

I've been one to "trust the science" through this whole thing, but I'm having trouble with the no need to wear masks indoors anymore part of it.

My issue for over a year now has been the arbitrariness of 'the science.'

- Don't wear a mask. No, wait, wear a mask. No wait, you only need it when you're inside. No, wait, you can wear it when you walk through the restaurant, but take it off when you get to your table.

- Don't touch anything. No, wait, that was never really a problem.

- We have to take precautions for two weeks to flatten the curve. No, wait, we need those precautions in place for over a year to achieve herd immunity. No, wait, we won't be able to get to the numbers required for herd immunity, so it's now OK to ditch the mask.

From the get-go, I've asked for exit criteria. Wear a mask until new cases fall below X, hospitalizations below W, and deaths below Y. Socially distance until Z% of the population has been inoculated. But we never got that exit criteria. Instead, we get an inexact "A lot of people got shots. I guess it's okay to go out without a mask."

That's not science; it's guesswork.

[Yankee Tripper]

That's not science; it's guesswork.

I don't you understand how science works and how it changes with newly available data.

[YankeePride1967]

I don't you understand how science works and how it changes with newly available data.

Seems to think if new evidence comes forward you should ignore it

[JL25and3]

My issue for over a year now has been the arbitrariness of 'the science.'

- Don't wear a mask. No, wait, wear a mask. No wait, you only need it when you're inside. No, wait, you can wear it when you walk through the restaurant, but take it off when you get to your table.

- Don't touch anything. No, wait, that was never really a problem.

- We have to take precautions for two weeks to flatten the curve. No, wait, we need those precautions in place for over a year to achieve herd immunity. No, wait, we won't be able to get to the numbers required for herd immunity, so it's now OK to ditch the mask.

From the get-go, I've asked for exit criteria. Wear a mask until new cases fall below X, hospitalizations below W, and deaths below Y. Socially distance until Z% of the population has been inoculated. But we never got that exit criteria. Instead, we get an inexact "A lot of people got shots. I guess it's okay to go out without a mask."

That's not science; it's guesswork.

Maynerd, you’re talking about things people said in the first six weeks of the pandemic. Yeah, there was a lot of guesswork there. We’ve been over the no masks/masks switch too many times to count - not that it’s slowed you down at all - so let’s talk about the touching. At the beginning, there was no real information on how Covid was likely to be spread, so you could call the warnings about surfaces "guesswork." Or you could call it "science," because it was based on the best information we had about the general case, lacking specific data. Would it have been better science to say it didn’t matter until the specific case had been demonstrated?

[YankeeFan1421]

I’m in NYC this week for work...company meetings in our office.
First, I have never been so happy to check into a midtown Marriott...feels so good even if I know long term the borderline euphoria will wear off!

but I’m quite surprised today on how very few people walking the streets have ditched the mask. I am fully vaccinated and while I carry one with me to respect any business I might enter and its rights to require one, I’m now fully in default mode of not wearing one.

But little if anything has changed despite both the CDC and the State saying the masks can be removed. Yes, certainly many wearing are not fully vaccinated, but I even got the stink eye in the hotel lobby from an employee who asked “would you like a mask?”

Her manager or maybe colleague quickly said “Marriott put out a statement today that fully vaxxed people no longer need masks on our properties...”

Either this vaccination works to the degree it’s advertised or it doesn’t. If it’s not working, we have major problems...but I doubt that.

For those fully vaxxed who don’t want to wear them...I hope they aren’t feeling a stigma over taking them off!

[RYMASTER or Ryan_Yankees]

I’m in NYC this week for work...company meetings in our office.
First, I have never been so happy to check into a midtown Marriott...feels so good even if I know long term the borderline euphoria will wear off!

but I’m quite surprised today on how very few people walking the streets have ditched the mask. I am fully vaccinated and while I carry one with me to respect any business I might enter and its rights to require one, I’m now fully in default mode of not wearing one.

But little if anything has changed despite both the CDC and the State saying the masks can be removed. Yes, certainly many wearing are not fully vaccinated, but I even got the stink eye in the hotel lobby from an employee who asked “would you like a mask?”

Her manager or maybe colleague quickly said “Marriott put out a statement today that fully vaxxed people no longer need masks on our properties...”

Either this vaccination works to the degree it’s advertised or it doesn’t. If it’s not working, we have major problems...but I doubt that.

For those fully vaxxed who don’t want to wear them...I hope they aren’t feeling a stigma over taking them off!

I haven't had a chance to go maskless yet and it'll be interesting to see how it goes. The state I live in (NJ) still requires them and while the state I work in (PA) doesn't, my employer decided to keep the policy in place "pending further guidance."

[YankeeFan1421]

I haven't had a chance to go maskless yet and it'll be interesting to see how it goes. The state I live in (NJ) still requires them and while the state I work in (PA) doesn't, my employer decided to keep the policy in place "pending further guidance."

Yeah and I completely respect/support any business that asks/requires a mask. If that’s what the sign says, then I will put mine on with no issues.

but now I think the onus should be shifted away from “assume you need a mask” to “assume you do not unless otherwise stated.”

and it’s a warm, sunny 70-something degree day today. Granted I’m not sure the temperature per se impacts the likelihood of transmission, but I’m not wearing one on the streets as well.

[YankeePride1967]

I will wear mine because of multiple reasons one being I don’t trust the person next to me with no mask was vaccinated

[Maynerd]

Maynerd, you’re talking about things people said in the first six weeks of the pandemic. Yeah, there was a lot of guesswork there.

I fully understand that. And, I have no issues with the experts championing changing scenarios as we gather new information. But if that's the case (and it is), I do have an issue with somewhat condescending "believe the science" statements. The science.....changes. If the science says we don't need masks right now, does that mean mask-wearers are no longer 'believing the science?'

And, my issue with the lack of an exit criteria remain. The lack of a measurable criteria for a return to normalcy has created problems with implementing that return. Shouldn't the scientists have defined the desired end state before recommending large-scale changes to how Americans conduct their day-to-day lives?

[JL25and3]

I fully understand that. And, I have no issues with the experts championing changing scenarios as we gather new information. But if that's the case (and it is), I do have an issue with somewhat condescending "believe the science" statements. The science.....changes. If the science says we don't need masks right now, does that mean mask-wearers are no longer 'believing the science?'

And, my issue with the lack of an exit criteria remain. The lack of a measurable criteria for a return to normalcy has created problems with implementing that return. Shouldn't the scientists have defined the desired end state before recommending large-scale changes to how Americans conduct their day-to-day lives?

I don’t see why. "We need to do this until we don’t" seems fine.

[YFIB]

I fully understand that. And, I have no issues with the experts championing changing scenarios as we gather new information. But if that's the case (and it is), I do have an issue with somewhat condescending "believe the science" statements. The science.....changes. If the science says we don't need masks right now, does that mean mask-wearers are no longer 'believing the science?'

And, my issue with the lack of an exit criteria remain. The lack of a measurable criteria for a return to normalcy has created problems with implementing that return. Shouldn't the scientists have defined the desired end state before recommending large-scale changes to how Americans conduct their day-to-day lives?

I don't think that's as much a science issue as it is a policy one - there's a judgement based on how much risk you are willing to take. The science can only tell you what the risks are. As we've seen over the past year, people have very different ideas about risk tolerance. Even if we get up to 70%, or even 80% vaccinated, we may achieve a place where we feel comfortable, but that doesn't mean there won't be outbreaks in the fall or winter.

[fredgmuggs]

I did a Home Depot run today for work. Sign on door said masks were required but I'd say only half the folks in the store were wearing one. And so it goes.....

[RhodyYanksFan]

I did a Home Depot run today for work. Sign on door said masks were required but I'd say only half the folks in the store were wearing one. And so it goes.....

We are a country of wusses. We weren't asked to storm the beaches of Normandy. We weren't even asked to deal with the danger for the 5+ years it usually takes to get a vaccine. We were asked to stay home at the best time in history to have to stay home (netflix, zoom, ipads, etc) and wear a mask if you have to go out and we couldn't even be bothered to do that right.