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Are people still masking?


Elizabeth86
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I took my children to the summer library program, all five of us masked. I’m vaccinated, but I still mask for the kids. There were about 10 families there and some library workers and only 1 other person had a mask on besides my family. I also went to the store today and I’d estimate only about 10% were masked. Vaccination rates are still around 30-40% in my area. My state is doing great, but not on our end. I was just curious how things looked where you are.

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Our state's mask mandate says that if you're fully vaccinated, masks are optional. Our state is right at 50% for the vaccine rate.

That being said, I'd guess that about a quarter of the people I see out and about still wear masks.

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Less masks but still a lot...80-90+%?

Our library is requiring masks specifically because kids can't be vaccinated yet.  They are also keeping curbside as an option.

I think a couple museums are keeping masks.

Our church is having a big Zoom meeting to discuss reopening.  I'm hoping for masks to be required indoors for there reasons: no option for kids to be vaccinated, the Delta variant, and singing.

I live in a highly populated county and we still are averaging hundreds of cases a day.

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We are at about 70% for at least one shot here.

Most people are still masking at places that require them.  Not so much outside. 

 

Funny story, though:

Yesterday ds had a scout meeting, for the first time indoors.  They were at a community center and 100% of people in the building were masked. Gentleman came in from an outdoor court to use the bathroom and this exchange happened:

Attendant at the front desk, behind a barrier: Sir, you need a mask.

Gentleman: I don't have one.  I'm from Mississippi, we don't wear them down there.

Attendant hands him a disposable mask and he continued to the restroom.

Upon returning....the gentleman pulled off his mask

Gentleman: would you like this back?

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We were still masking at home in Roanoke, VA.  We've been on our road trip, first to visit my family for a week in Jackson, TN, where the only people I saw masking were a couple of employees in a couple stores.  Since then, we've been traveling and visiting colleges, and we've gone through KY, IL, IN, OH, and now PA, and we've only seen a handful of people masking anywhere.  Honestly, we haven't been either, because at my mom's, I didn't want to make my family feel self conscious, and on college visits, I've felt pretty confident that everyone is vaccinated and also when we went into places like gas stations and fast food restaurants in small town Indiana, we got some scary looks and people saying, "You don't have to mask in here," in kind of scary voices.  Like the implication was, "Take those d*mn things off."  So we're just trying to get through this.  We'll go back to masking when we get back home.  

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I still mask, even though I am fully vaxed.  Personally I am not ready to not mask yet.  Our county is at 41% with one shot less with 2.   My older 2 kids are fully vaxed, but my others are not old enough yet.   And yeah Delta.  

We went to the library today too.  My kids haven't been since before Covid (me either).   We all were masked.   We only saw 1 other person there that was masked.  Saw at least 5 -6 others who were not. 

7 day average of new cases in my state is 77.

 

Honestly I would love to mask in indoor public places forever and hopefully cut down on being sick.  

Hospital was still requiring it.  Everyone there was masked.  

Dentist is still requiring it too.  Although the front desk woman had hers on her chin.

Edited by mommyoffive
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6 minutes ago, Terabith said:

We were still masking at home in Roanoke, VA.  We've been on our road trip, first to visit my family for a week in Jackson, TN, where the only people I saw masking were a couple of employees in a couple stores.  Since then, we've been traveling and visiting colleges, and we've gone through KY, IL, IN, OH, and now PA, and we've only seen a handful of people masking anywhere.  Honestly, we haven't been either, because at my mom's, I didn't want to make my family feel self conscious, and on college visits, I've felt pretty confident that everyone is vaccinated and also when we went into places like gas stations and fast food restaurants in small town Indiana, we got some scary looks and people saying, "You don't have to mask in here," in kind of scary voices.  Like the implication was, "Take those d*mn things off."  So we're just trying to get through this.  We'll go back to masking when we get back home.  

UGH.  Dh has had that happen to him a few times.  Especially on our road trip to South Dakota.  

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Not a lot of masks here in our county, and I think that’s because we haven’t had any new cases in 5 days and before then only a few per week. When we go to the neighboring county which is larger and is where our state university is located, masks are worn quite a bit. Not so much in big box stores but in small stores and grocery store, yes. 
I’m no longer seeing any push back, either from folks wearing masks or not wearing them. 

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We are mostly 30-50% masked here just depending on location with some places being near-zero and some near 100%.  Rarely do I see a mask outside.  
 

I think our state is overall 55% vaccinated with the metro area 70%+ and new cases @200/day metro area, 400/day overall.  

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I went to the grocery store just a few days after our mask mandate was lifted for vaccinated people. I saw only one person without a mask in the busy store (so probably 99% were masking). However, I saw several with their mask under their nose, I found that really odd. Why wear it at all if you're going to wear it wrong?

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24 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

We are at about 70% for at least one shot here.

Most people are still masking at places that require them.  Not so much outside. 

 

Funny story, though:

Yesterday ds had a scout meeting, for the first time indoors.  They were at a community center and 100% of people in the building were masked. Gentleman came in from an outdoor court to use the bathroom and this exchange happened:

Attendant at the front desk, behind a barrier: Sir, you need a mask.

Gentleman: I don't have one.  I'm from Mississippi, we don't wear them down there.

Attendant hands him a disposable mask and he continued to the restroom.

Upon returning....the gentleman pulled off his mask

Gentleman: would you like this back?

😂

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My county is about 51% fully vaxxed, my family is completely vaccinated. We are still masking in stores and other indoor places. Dh is masking at church but not at his rosary group, where everyone is vaccinated. Right after the mask mandate was dropped for vaccinated people and recommended for unvaccinated we saw a lot of unmasked people in stores. Lately it seems like more people are masking than a few weeks ago, probably because of the delta variant. 

On a side note, I've heard from a few unvaccinated people that are planning to get the shot after reading about the office in Florida with 2 deaths. I'm curious if this tragedy has had that effect on others.

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I'm vaccinated, but I mask in public in solidarity with my son.  He's is the only unvaccinated member of our family, but that will probably change soon.  (He has chronic thrombocytopenia -- low platelets -- and we wanted to wait awhile.)

The masks are coming off fast in the summer heat.  Dallas County (Texas) is about 40% fully vaccinated.

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VA has lifted masking requirements, but encourages those not vaccinated to wear a mask.  And stores have the right to set their own requirements.  Most stores around here have signs posted saying they are optional if vaccinated and strongly encouraged if not.  However, I have found that most people are still wearing masks in the places I have gone in the past few weeks (which I like).  DH, myself, and the boys are all fully vaccinated now.  We continue wearing masks in stores.  Doctors offices that I have been taking my dad too still require masks - vaccinated or not.

 

 

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Vermont lifted all restrictions on the 15th when we hit 80% vaccinated. I'm still seeing a lot of masks, but today I think I saw fewer than I did over the weekend. We've been encouraged to "act like it's 2019" by the governor and the health department, but people are still a bit cautious from what I can see.  I did walk from my car into my hair appt and didn't even take my mask with me, which was a first. It felt like leaving my security blanket at home. 😂

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50 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I was just curious how things looked where you are.

Almost no one is wearing them.

51 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I still mask for the kids.

You mean you put masks on your kids? Even though they have very little likelihood of transmitting it if they are positive and even though they aren't positive? Or to protect them? Since their masks won't protect them (unless they're happy masks or something similar) and since the data is now showing that kid masks are germ factories, it would seem much safer to remove the masks on your kids.

To me, a better question is whether you're queing and chumming up like normal and doing the sardine thing. Personally, I give people space and I see that a lot. With no marks on the floor, nothing, people are just giving others space. I think this is good.

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I had figured that I would still mask after the mandate was lifted, but I really haven’t.  I’m fully vaccinated, I’m in and out of shops pretty quick and I’m out when things aren’t busy.   My 5 year old is the only unvaccinated one as I was only 50/50 on making her mask, the mandate in my state was for over 5.  I’m worried about the new Delta variant but not enough to mask fully again at this point.  Subject to change as new data emerges, of course.  
Right now I feel like I’ll enjoy the summer and see what winter brings.

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35 minutes ago, amiesmom said:

I went to the grocery store just a few days after our mask mandate was lifted for vaccinated people. I saw only one person without a mask in the busy store (so probably 99% were masking). 

Same story here - I was in SF city yesterday (all mask mandates are lifted and no restrictions), but 99% of the people inside huge stores were masked. I went into a Target, TJ's and a bank at the busiest time of the day - there were 3 people unmasked inside the bank but all the rest had masks on (including my fully vaccinated family). There was a huge event there with food trucks and long lines of people were waiting patiently, maintaining distance, wearing masks in the heat to get their food.

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10 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

the data is now showing that kid masks are germ factories

How could a mask be a germ factory simply because it belongs to a child?

If I take my kids into a public building, they wear freshly washed, snug-fitting, double layer cloth masks. They do not touch them for the duration of the trip. Upon exiting, they remove them without touching the outer layer. When we get home, all masks are washed and dried on high heat.

I can certainly understand how masks carted to school, set in all sorts of places, improperly handled and worn, infrequently washed, etc could be teeming with germs, but that doesn't necessarily apply to all kids' masks.

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3 minutes ago, wendyroo said:

How could a mask be a germ factory simply because it belongs to a child?

If I take my kids into a public building, they wear freshly washed, snug-fitting, double layer cloth masks. They do not touch them for the duration of the trip. Upon exiting, they remove them without touching the outer layer. When we get home, all masks are washed and dried on high heat.

I can certainly understand how masks carted to school, set in all sorts of places, improperly handled and worn, infrequently washed, etc could be teeming with germs, but that doesn't necessarily apply to all kids' masks.

 In fairness, kids are gross. 😁 DS is great on trips like you're describing, but when they wear them all day in school, they get gross. We have a few kids that have wet masks, which makes me gag. They pull them on and off all day, suck on the ear loops, basically any gross thing you can think of, they do. Not sure it's mask specific though. (I'm happy to be on summer break)

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44 minutes ago, amiesmom said:

I went to the grocery store just a few days after our mask mandate was lifted for vaccinated people. I saw only one person without a mask in the busy store (so probably 99% were masking). However, I saw several with their mask under their nose, I found that really odd. Why wear it at all if you're going to wear it wrong?

Same here. We’re 60-85% of eligible vaccinated, depending which area I’m in, but almost everyone is masked inside. Most people aren’t masking outside. I have noticed an uptick in masks under the nose lately also, which is weird. Seems like people trying to walk the line 🤷‍♀️.

 

19 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

You mean you put masks on your kids? Even though they have very little likelihood of transmitting it if they are positive and even though they aren't positive? Or to protect them? Since their masks won't protect them (unless they're happy masks or something similar) and since the data is now showing that kid masks are germ factories, it would seem much safer to remove the masks on your kids.

Kids are indeed transmitting. Also, Happy Masks aren’t magically better than all the other ones. They’re a decent mask. Not the best, but much better than a lot of others. Much, much better than no mask. What’s the data you’re talking about kids masks being germ factories? I don’t care about general germs, anyhow. Only the risky ones I don’t want them breathing in. 
 

My youngest has been masking since she was 2. She has KF94s that fit her very nicely and bother her none at all. I feel glad to be able to offer her that protection, though I also just don’t take her inside places right now. She doesn’t need to catch delta if we can help it. 

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24 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Almost no one is wearing them.

You mean you put masks on your kids? Even though they have very little likelihood of transmitting it if they are positive and even though they aren't positive? Or to protect them? Since their masks won't protect them (unless they're happy masks or something similar) and since the data is now showing that kid masks are germ factories, it would seem much safer to remove the masks on your kids.

To me, a better question is whether you're queing and chumming up like normal and doing the sardine thing. Personally, I give people space and I see that a lot. With no marks on the floor, nothing, people are just giving others space. I think this is good.

Where is this information coming from?

My understanding is that kids absolutely can (and do) transmit covid, and that masks both protect the wearer and protect others from the wearer.  

I have not seen anything to suggest that masks are dangerous for kids over 2. 

All other things being equal, masking during a pandemic is safer than not masking, even for kids.

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6 minutes ago, wendyroo said:

How could a mask be a germ factory simply because it belongs to a child?

 

Well, I saw a kid with one at the library today. And his mask was completely soaked in an oval shape right around his mouth. I was so grossed out seeing it. Said kid entered the library that way.  As grossed out as I was, I was also glad he had a mask. Though unmasked people are supposed to wear masks, it's really uncommon. And I don't want to put workers in the position of asking people to mask, as not all handle it well. 

And as many of the people who should be wearing them are kids, it might not be totally their fault they aren't, you know? 

So I totally understand that kid masks might be grosser than adults. Adults are more likely to change to a new one before they get to the super gross stage (at least, I hope so).

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I’m at Hershey Park right now. The rule is to mask if you are unvaccinated. But I’ve seen only maybe 25% of people wearing masks. And it is super packed with people. Our whole family is vaccinated and we are not masking. I'm not worried personally, but people are definitely not following the rule and no one is enforcing it. 

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I am requiring masking in lessons except for students who are fully vaccinated, which, currently, is three of them. Most parents mask as well. The summer camp is requiring them indoors as well, since their kids are 12 and under. 

 

My family is still masking in public, and most store employees are still masking. A lot of stores have signs that say "masks still required", especially local businesses. We are at 46% vaccination locally and 34% statewide, and I would say that less than 46% of non-employees are masked in stores not requiring it. 

 

 

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My county has 20% vaccination rate and the Delta variant arrived this week.☹️ I still wear a mask but most stores have a rule that you don't have to mask if fully vaccinated, some stores are not requiring masks at all. There is not city-wide mask mandate anymore. 
 

I still social distance in stores as well. I'm still not going out as much, working from home again this summer. 

More people are not wearing masks, but a large portion of the population was against masking even when it was required. 

 

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My county and neighboring county are at 50-57% vaccinated.  Many other areas of my state are at 20% give or take.  That bothers me! 

The Delta variant is serious!!!  No children are vaccinated!!   I wish we had focused all the easing on outdoor stuff only.

About Delta variant being caught in passing: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/americans-shocked-by-sobering-way-delta-variant-is-spreading-in-australia/news-story/0f2d57bdf48fbe96245fd7495755234a

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We are at more than 70% with one shot. I'd say outside is about 20% masked on the street. In stores is about 50-70% masked. Over the winter, masking was at 100% everywhere inside and very high outdoors - over 90%. So we were a very mask compliant area and this has been a big shift.

I assume the people wearing the masks are not the people who are unvaxxed - with the exception of the kids. I do see families outside pretty often now where the adults are unmasked and the kids are masked.

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Very little masking here.  State mandate is for those not vaccinated to mask, and vaccinated to mask in certain situations (schools, doctor's offices, business requests it, etc.).  My county has 48% of eligible people vaccinated.  Our positivity rate is 12.5% last I saw.

We went into a store last weekend and maybe 10% of the people were wearing masks, and I see about the same all over the area.  Most businesses have gone to the honor system asking non-vaccinated people to mask, but sadly a lot of people around here have no honor.  😞

DD was at jury duty last week, and said they were all given a mask to wear (couldn't wear their own).  She started texting me about a man sitting near her (assigned distanced seating) who pulled his mask down and was coughing a lot.  She said most of the people pulled down their masks.  There was a reminder by one of the court officials, and people put them back up until he left the room.  She was pretty frustrated with it.

Our family still masks on the rare times we are out and about even though we are fully vaccinated.

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Over 70% vaccination in my county.  Almost 100% masking compliance here still indoors.  And I am glad because I don't trust unvaccinated people to mask.  I think that there is such high masking compliance here because there are so many here who vaccinate and the two behaviors are correlated.  Masking doesn't hurt me (and no I don't want to hear the misinformation about it) and as long as there is some general benefit to society, then I think that it's a good thing. 

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1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

Since their masks won't protect them (unless they're happy masks or something similar) and since the data is now showing that kid masks are germ factories, it would seem much safer to remove the masks on your kids.

What data? I haven't seen that but then I haven't looked. 

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1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

Almost no one is wearing them.

You mean you put masks on your kids? Even though they have very little likelihood of transmitting it if they are positive and even though they aren't positive? Or to protect them? Since their masks won't protect them (unless they're happy masks or something similar) and since the data is now showing that kid masks are germ factories, it would seem much safer to remove the masks on your kids.

To me, a better question is whether you're queing and chumming up like normal and doing the sardine thing. Personally, I give people space and I see that a lot. With no marks on the floor, nothing, people are just giving others space. I think this is good.

Yes, I very much appreciate the giving space thing still happening.  

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2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

I still mask, even though I am fully vaxed.  Personally I am not ready to not mask yet. 

I don't understand why you would wear a mask if you are "vaxed." A vaccine is supposed to protect from the disease. That's why we vaccinate our children with MMR and DPT and everything, yes? So why would you still need to wear a mask?

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I went to the neighborhood pet store today. Dd and I masked. The owner did not. She is fully vaccinated. I know because I made her second appointment. She was stuck working at the store, and I said, “Let me run down to the pharmacy and see if they have  an opening.” And they did. 
 

No one was masked pumping gas at Costco, but everyone was inside the store. Also our pool no longer requires people to mask on the pool deck but they still have to, walking through the building to get to the pool. 
 

Also, a friend came to talk to me through my window when I was parked. She was masked. She said even though we are all vaccinated, there is a new virus from India that we should be careful about. Her kids are coming to my house this weekend, I think that was her way of telling me that they will be masked while they are here. 

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Our county is at 46% with one shot.  Masking in stores is not the norm, maybe 10% are masked. We have vocal anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers.

We don’t mask outside unless close to people we don’t know, but we do mask in public stores and medical settings.  

DH and I did not mask at a recent funeral and reception, but we knew most, if not all, people were vaxxed.  Also, it was in an area with a higher vaccination rate.

Of course our 10 yr old masks.  She’s used to it (when our state had a mandate, it was for everyone over 2yo). She is not vaxxed, and she’s somewhat high risk.  She wears very cute Happy Masks, and she prefers to mask outside as well.  

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