Why mask?

[Ting Tang]

I masked on vacation. Three of my four kids did when I could make them; one flat out refused.  But even those three did not want to… they feel weird being the only ones anymore.  It was a trip with extended family. They and my husband did not and do not mask. My husband is done with vaccines— he had the initial course only. So if you’re me, why bother, especially if we’re all together! I might see one out of hundreds masking elsewhere. I go to politically liberal and conservative areas. I know both types of people. They’re all done. But I don’t know how to let go. I still don’t want Covid, but likely my family will give it to me. And I’d never want to spread it, but nobody else seems to care. It almost makes no sense if I live with non maskers. And no, I don’t want to live like this forever, but I see no end to the way Covid is. 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Ting Tang

[Clarita]

I mask in indoor situations. I don't really mask to keep me or my family from getting it. I mask because now we know one of our kids can be completely asymptomatic with COVID and I don't want to be the super spreader family.

That and I hate the whole quarantining when you do get COVID. 

[KSera]

Well, you're right that with the rest of your family not masking, chances are high that they would give it to you in the house anyway. On the other hand, if you're out without them, it makes sense to still mask because that's an exposure they don't have. And even if you're with them, it's legitimate to try to prevent yourself from being the entry point. Many times it's one person in the family who gets it initially, even if they all went the same place. It reduces the chance of that by making it harder for you to be infected, and if one of them does get it, you might know in time to isolate them and not get it yourself. Masking isn't as low here as it sounds there, though. 10-30% I'd say, depending where I am.

I'm sorry you're the only one though; I would feel very frustrated and helpless if the rest of my family wasn't taking the same precautions I am and I had no control of how much they exposed me 😔. (I just happened to read about the creator of Cranium just having died of covid complications at 58, despite being vaxed and boosted. That hits home that this thing is still a force.)

[desertflower]

We are in the same boat. 
 

I mask indoors (and sometimes outdoors) for others. Others who have comorbidities.  

[Arcadia]

Asians in my area have typically masked for flu season and for wildfires smog/haze. When the pandemic started, a lot of us have N95 masks on hand because of seasonal wildfires. The BART (Bay Area rapid transit) has reinstated their mask mandate. My husband isn’t anti-mask but he is also not a habitual mask wearer. He might go into Costco without his mask because few people are wearing one. He would on the other hand remember to put on his mask before going into a Japanese or Korean supermarket because many customers are wearing while walking out of the supermarket so he gets the visual cue. If he sees a mask recommended sign at the entrance of a shop, he would go back to his car to get a mask. For him, it is more of a courtesy than prevention. If wearing a mask makes others less worried about flu or Covid, why not. 
My teens prefer to mask and DS17 is required to mask for his in person community college exam. DS17 prefers the cloth masks and he just bought a prettier one from Daiso. He has two plain black ones by under armor and just want to have pretty ones like what some teens are wearing. This is what he picked https://daisous.com/products/0843074194394. Would having prettier masks  help in making your children less reluctant to wear masks? 
 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I mask to lower my exposure.  Obviously I'm still exposed if I'm around family members who don't mask.  But I won't be as exposed to a random sick person who could be carrying the virus.  And if I do get it from people at home then hopefully my own vaccines, boosters etc. will give me some protection.  I don't really mask for other people any more.  I mean, I'm masking.  And it does benefit them but I'm not really thinking of helping people who don't want to be helped. 

[Elizabeth86]

I’m there with ya. My dh has never really masked except a couple times he really had too. The kids and I aren’t going to suffer in masks if we are still going to be exposed. 🤷‍♀️We had covid and we are all fine.  That’s where I’m at. My high risk people are taking risks too. It’s just a part of life now.

[MEmama]

DH is back in the office part time. He and one other person are the last two people masking in the public spaces, which frustrates him to no end. Fortunately he spends most of his time in his private office (I bought him a hepa air filter when he had to go back) and doesn’t mask there, but he is sticking to it in meetings, corridors, etc. We both still mask everywhere we go indoors and we still aren’t eating in restaurants. This virus isn’t over and while I can’t fathom why people are pretending otherwise, like a PP mentioned I’m masking for *my* health not for those who don’t care. 
 

I'm disappointed in masking numbers in my area though I suspect it’s higher here than in most of the country. I don’t mind wearing a mask though, it’s become second nature at this point. I do know eventually we’re going to be exposed and get sick, but hopefully continuing to take precautions at least lessens the viral load.

[Laura Corin]

3 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I mask to lower my exposure.  Obviously I'm still exposed if I'm around family members who don't mask.  But I won't be as exposed to a random sick person who could be carrying the virus.  And if I do get it from people at home then hopefully my own vaccines, boosters etc. will give me some protection.  I don't really mask for other people any more.  I mean, I'm masking.  And it does benefit them but I'm not really thinking of helping people who don't want to be helped. 

Yes, that's me.  My son is working retail this summer, so I know that I am highly likely to be exposed.  I am just masking to reduce the exposure I can control.

[Ausmumof3]

Dh is the only one here that dropped precautions and he’s the only one that had covid. He still has a cough four weeks on. For me, not having the inconvenience of being sick during the school term when I need to work is worth it. Reducing my likelihood of passing it on to my older parents is worth it. My hope is that public health will win out and we will see a shift toward better ventilation reducing overall spread. When covid doesn’t look like being the leading cause of death for my country for the year I might stop masking and take my chances. I’m not there yet though. I have to be honest I assumed at some point the precautions would fail and then I’d get it anyway. So far that doesn’t seem to have happened.

[Eos]

Two kids and I are just back from a family trip where we fully masked at all times indoors and sometimes outdoors.  We were the ones pushing everyone to stay masked indoors and to not keep making plans to go inside restaurants, etc.  We left at three in the morning to catch our plane and the rest of them went to an indoor brunch at noon...can you guess what happened? My 93 year old double boosted mother has it, my bil (married to my sister with terminal lung cancer) has it, his brother and sister in law (potentially the vector) my niece...but not any of us who masked without end both in the planes and on the ground.

Still masking every day at our lodging business and in all indoor spaces.

[regentrude]

I mask to lower my exposure. Every encounter where I am masked reduces my risk. Just because I choose not to mask in some situations does not mean masking is pointless in others. For example, I mask in all public indoor spaces and on public transportation, but not when I visit indoors with individual friends or in small events where I can trust people not to show up when they know that they are infected/exposed. Yes, there is still a risk that they are asymptomatic, but my Covid budget lets me accept this risk for the benefit I gain from the encounters.
Risk is cumulative, and the encounters are independent events. Masking half the time still means that those 50% of situations likely won't lead to infection.

Edited August 2, 2022 by regentrude

[Guest]

I have mostly stopped wearing a mask now. I am not actively opposed to it but I can’t see the point now. The two most Covid-cautious people I know recently just had it go through their families. I would mask around those two people out of deference.  But it does not matter for them now. 
 

I also used to mask for my boss (heart condition) and by extension his wife but they have both had it now as well. 
 

I still have not gotten Covid that I know of. I assume I will get it eventually; odds are good I will recover. At this point, I have a greater statistical likelihood of having cancer return than to suffer severe Covid or die from it so 🤷🏻‍♀️ It is what it is. 

[regentrude]

2 minutes ago, Quill said:

At this point, I have a greater statistical likelihood of having cancer return than to suffer severe Covid or die from it so 🤷🏻‍♀️ It is what it is. 

My main concern is not death from Covid, as I am vaxxed and healthy, but the (very poorly understood) possibility of long Covid. As long as nobody has any idea who gets it and why and how exactly it is caused, seeing what this does to folks concerns me greatly. Just the other day, my BIL told me about his friend who went from active athlete to bedridden and unable to have any significant physical activity for 18 months.
And that doesn't seem to be a tiny probability. Sigh.

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

My main concern is not death from Covid, as I am vaxxed and healthy, but the (very poorly understood) possibility of long Covid. As long as nobody has any idea who gets it and why and how exactly it is caused, seeing what this does to folks concerns me greatly. Just the other day, my BIL told me about his friend who went from active athlete to bedridden and unable to have any significant physical activity for 18 months.
And that doesn't seem to be a tiny probability. Sigh.

 

I do agree that is a concern. I don’t think it registers high on my radar though; I don’t know anyone with a serious case of long Covid. What is that called? Availability Bias? I think that’s it. It does not seem like much of a threat because I don’t know anyone in that condition. I did just talk to a client who had severe Covid effects for six months, but that’s the only one I know of directly. 

[Lady Florida.]

2 hours ago, Quill said:

I have mostly stopped wearing a mask now. I am not actively opposed to it but I can’t see the point now. 

This is me. I was religiously masking from the start living in a state where the PTB actively fought masking (and other precautions) and even made laws preventing mask mandates. My family and I wore masks where we were the only ones and got the kinds of looks anti-maskers gave people wearing masks. I patronized businesses that required masks and boycotted those that didn't. 

We all got Covid. We got it after being in a situation where both masks and vaccines were required. Thankfully we were all vaxxed and boosted and it was the previous variant of Omicron. We had mild cases and ds was asymptomatic. 

At this time I also feel like there's no point in masking. I don't seek out crowded indoor places. I still only socialize with my small group of vaccinated friends and family (who are also cautious but not masking), and when possible we eat outdoors at restaurants though in Florida in summer it's usually too hot for that.

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Lady Florida.

[I talk to the trees]

Hugs to you, OP! I know it’s rough. Dh is on an immunosuppressant, dd has a grab-bag full of autoimmune issues, and I have asthma, so we have been super cautious from the start of this thing. (Dh’s parents are pretty much COVID deniers, and dh himself was very reckless at the beginning, but I think having a Crohn’s diagnosis and being put on an immunosuppressant, along with losing a couple of cousins, cured him of that line of thinking.) We are still masking with n95s whenever we are indoors (except at home), but not outdoors unless there is a large group, or there is no room to distance. We have been on the receiving end of some pretty hostile glares, but I have also noticed that when I do see others who are still masking, there is a genuine gratitude in their eyes. I always smile back under my mask and hope I project the same to them. 
 

To anyone out there who is still masking, either out of necessity or out of thoughtfulness, please accept my sincere thanks! It really does mean a lot when I encounter a fellow masker, so know that you could really be making someone’s day not by smiling at them, but by covering that smile! 

Edited August 2, 2022 by I talk to the trees
Adding a bit for clarification

[barnwife]

Huh...this is timely. The kids and I still mask in crowded indoor situations. But just this weekend, after church (which is definitely crowded), someone asked me "are you afraid of this pandemic? Because you and your kids have been masked for a while now."

I cheerily responded, "Yup!" They came back with, "but oxygen is important, it's a really good thing!" I happily let them now I agree oxygen is great and important, and that thankfully, we haven't encountered any masks that prevent us from getting oxygen.

Unfortunately, we were interrupted so I couldn't explain my reasoning for still masking.

To me, it's simple. Way back, pre-pandemic (remember those days?), I appreciated it when people who needed to cough or sneeze used a kleenex or did so into their elbow/shoulder. I still do, actually. For me, a mask is like a permanent tissue that frees us from needing to think about that. How cool is that? 

Also, though yes, we've had Covid, we've get sick way less wearing masks than not.

So, yes, I will happily mask even if I am a small minority. But I no longer put any thought into what others do.

[Ausmumof3]

29 minutes ago, barnwife said:

Huh...this is timely. The kids and I still mask in crowded indoor situations. But just this weekend, after church (which is definitely crowded), someone asked me "are you afraid of this pandemic? Because you and your kids have been masked for a while now."

I cheerily responded, "Yup!" They came back with, "but oxygen is important, it's a really good thing!" I happily let them now I agree oxygen is great and important, and that thankfully, we haven't encountered any masks that prevent us from getting oxygen.

Unfortunately, we were interrupted so I couldn't explain my reasoning for still masking.

To me, it's simple. Way back, pre-pandemic (remember those days?), I appreciated it when people who needed to cough or sneeze used a kleenex or did so into their elbow/shoulder. I still do, actually. For me, a mask is like a permanent tissue that frees us from needing to think about that. How cool is that? 

Also, though yes, we've had Covid, we've get sick way less wearing masks than not.

So, yes, I will happily mask even if I am a small minority. But I no longer put any thought into what others do.

Also so much this! We’ve been so much less sick.  I think I’ve realised it’s actually not healthy or normal to get the number of colds and flus society does - it’s a feature of our building design and travel speed and frequency. 

[shawthorne44]

To answer the title of the question, I see one use for masking.  A good friend of mine with bad lungs and allergies said that cloth masking while outdoors has helped her pollen allergies.  

Has anyone actually sneezed inside a mask?   I did once, it was disgusting.   I had the kleenex right there, but both getting the kleenex and removing the mask was too much to do in that short of time.  

One thing that really jumped out at me in the second post was hating to quarantine.   I hope no one actually thinks you don't have to quarantine if you wear a mask.   What was probably meant was that not getting sick means you don't have to quarantine.   I think that the changed the definition of who needs to stay home when sick and for how long might be a long-term benefit to our society.  It used to be that only the person that was sick stayed home and even then sometimes only if there was a fever and even then only until they felt better if it was at least two to three days after symptoms.  The new definition seems to be that everyone in the family stays home for at least a week.   THIS is what will slow the spread of disease.  


 

[marbel]

46 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

This is me. I was religiously masking from the start living in a state where the PTB actively fought masking (and other precautions) and even made laws preventing mask mandates. My family and I wore masks where we were the only ones and got the kinds of looks anti-maskers gave people wearing masks. I patronized businesses that required masks and boycotted those that didn't. 

We all got Covid. We got it after being in a situation were both masks and vaccines were required. Thankfully we were all vaxxed and boosted and it was the previous variant of Omicron. We had mild cases and ds was asymptomatic. 

At this time I also feel like there's no point in masking. I don't seek out crowded indoor places. I still only socialize with my small group of vaccinated friends and family (who are also cautious but not masking), and when possible we eat outdoors though in Florida in summer it's usually too hot for that.

 

This is about where I am. I carry a mask whereever I go and will mask as requested or if I'm in an environment where most people are masking. Or in a medical setting though I am seeing that less and less. 

My local public library has a "mask recommended" sign in the entry, but none of the staff mask and few of the patrons. I wonder if someone just forgot the sign is there. 

Where I live, it's a mixed bag of masked/unmasked and no one seems to pay particular attention to anyone else. I don't see people confronting others or giving the evil eye. (Maybe I'm just oblivious.) Which, I don't know, seems like the way it should be now. I'd like to see masking be a not-weird thing.  

[Ausmumof3]

7 minutes ago, shawthorne44 said:

To answer the title of the question, I see one use for masking.  A good friend of mine with bad lungs and allergies said that cloth masking while outdoors has helped her pollen allergies.  

Has anyone actually sneezed inside a mask?   I did once, it was disgusting.   I had the kleenex right there, but both getting the kleenex and removing the mask was too much to do in that short of time.  

One thing that really jumped out at me in the second post was hating to quarantine.   I hope no one actually thinks you don't have to quarantine if you wear a mask.   What was probably meant was that not getting sick means you don't have to quarantine.   I think that the changed the definition of who needs to stay home when sick and for how long might be a long-term benefit to our society.  It used to be that only the person that was sick stayed home and even then sometimes only if there was a fever and even then only until they felt better if it was at least two to three days after symptoms.  The new definition seems to be that everyone in the family stays home for at least a week.   THIS is what will slow the spread of disease.  


 

I think the poster means that wearing a mask means they’re less likely to catch covid and need to quarantine not that they’re masking instead of quarantining once they’ve caught it. This is a big factor for me for sure. Even if I catch a cold I’m technically meant to PCR test and isolate until I get results but my boss will want me to do a RAT and come to work anyway. That leaves me with an ethical dilemma. Wearing a mask seems to save me from getting colds and flus as well as covid so I can avoid that whole issue. 

[AmandaVT]

I'm going to be one of two, maybe three teachers masking when school starts back in a few weeks. I'm guessing we'll have 0-3 kids masking as well. I'll keep masking because it'll lower the viral load I'll be exposed to. It won't totally prevent me from getting sick, but it helps. When I had covid in May, it was almost totally asymptomatic. I haven't had a cold in 2 1/2 years. It's been quite nice - and, working in a middle school, it gives me the really nice bonus of not being able to smell stinky middle schoolers quite as much.

[Lady Florida.]

12 minutes ago, marbel said:

This is about where I am. I carry a mask whereever I go and will mask as requested or if I'm in an environment where most people are masking. Or in a medical setting though I am seeing that less and less. 

Yes, I still carry a mask with me and will use it if requested or if most people are wearing one. My primary care doc still requires masks but a lot of medical facilities are dropping the requirement. Some places require employees to mask but leave it optional for customers/patients.

[Selkie]

I just had two doctors I know tell me that they are recommending continued masking and distancing when in public, so that's what I'm doing. They're both very knowledgable about Covid and on top of the latest science, so I consider their opinions to be good advice.

[Jean in Newcastle]

This might not be fair of me, but if people are not cautious and get “inevitable “ Covid, then I don’t want to hesr them whining about the symptoms or the inconvenience etc. This might be unfair because of course people complain about getting colds or shingles or any other illness. And I don’t feel any satisfaction in them getting sick. I just don’t want to hear the whining about something that they have been cavalier about. 
 

I just saw a family who has long Covid. It’s been over a year now and they were saying that they thought that it might be lifelong (not saying that they are right- just reporting what they said despite consulting multiple doctors). But they see zero correlation between their initial behavior and their current situation. ( Just an observation from things they said about Covid, mitigation etc. I would never ever quiz them on this and of course I am praying for complete healing for them. ).  

[mlktwins]

I will continue masking, but my family does too.  We all do indoors and still don't eat at indoor restaurants.  We didn't mask for summer swim team and my boys are currently getting over Covid (first time).  DH and I have been spared so far (and I think we are safe).  We are all masking in our house at the moment.  Swim is over now so back to all our masking.

I'm so sorry you are not having cooperation from DH (and the kids).  That would be so incredibly hard.  Big hugs!!!

[mlktwins]

Question - may not be the correct thread though.  Do you think long Covid has been/is a greater concern for those who got the first couple of variants?  Alpha through Delta?  Maybe not as much of a concern with long covid with Omicron or has not enough time passed to know?  

We haven't had it in our family until now and my boys, thank goodness, just had super mild cold symptoms that went away very quickly. I do know that many are having high fevers, sore throats, and other worse symptoms too though.

[shawthorne44]

Nothing is certain yet.  But, it is looking like the long version is really mono which was triggered.  Mono is something we have more experience with.   If you've had mono and/or knew someone who has, the duration depends largely on your activity level, particularly early on.  Ignoring it and going about your life means it will be around for a long time.  

[marbel]

59 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

Yes, I still carry a mask with me and will use it if requested or if most people are wearing one. My primary care doc still requires masks but a lot of medical facilities are dropping the requirement. Some places require employees to mask but leave it optional for customers/patients.

This is kind of an aside, but I feel like - if employees of any public accommodation are required to mask, I will mask. Maybe that makes no sense. Maybe it's just a silly solidarity thing for me. Like, if I'm walking into a small coffee shop (which is rare for me, but happens!) if the barista/other staff are wearing masks, I will put mine on before I walk in. I guess I just feel like it's more respectful?  Maybe it's because of the experience some retail workers, including my daughter have had: having a customer walk into a shop, see that there are no other customers, and saying "oh we don't have to mask, there's no one in here" as if the worker - who is masked - is a nonentity. 

(I'm not implying that you, LF and others here, don't treat others with respect, this is just a riff off the bolded.)

Edited August 2, 2022 by marbel

[catz]

I am selectively masking.  I will say, we had tickets to traveling broadway locally that we had bought before covid.  All shows were cancelled most were shifted to later.  So we had tickets to a show pretty much every month from Sept-April in a space that holds 2600.  This is my teen age daughter's favorite thing.  I had to let go a lot of anxiety to start going.  I remember being super nervous in Jan/Feb.  But 3 of us here still haven't had covid (college student did test positive while on campus, only caught because he was testing twice a week for a performing group, pretty much asymptomatic).  Our peak last winter was CRAZY high.  I'm very sure we were exposed masked many times.  My daughter has had about a dozen known masked exposures in various activies she has done.  We test, nothing and haven't had broader spread in her groups that were responsibly masking.

My daughter is in a 6 week run regional theater production this summer.  They've been using broadway protocols masking throughout.  They've made it to the last week of the run and finally ONE member of cast/crew just got it.  But it hasn't spread (knocking on wood).    

But I am choosing to unmask in some small get togethers.  We have selectively gone to a few restaurants.  Like we took my mother to one right in the middle of the afternoon last weekend and chose seating carefully.  That was our first get together with her in a couple months.  I just joined one social group that meets monthly.  I have done almost nothing socially since covid started,which has been doubly difficult transition because I have aging kids so a lot of my social needs prior were met by kid things and volunteering for those types of things.  That is a covid cautious groups, I've only gone a couple times and there have been both masked and unmasked.  

I ask myself how irritated I am going to be if I get covid in a situation and chose accordingly. Running errands, etc. definitely masking.  Small number of social outings I will unmask.  I am spending plenty of time outdoors. I do often use nasal spray,mouth wash, eye drops after those things. But I am still seeing plenty of people mask in public here.  Plenty not as well.  

 

[mommyoffive]

2 hours ago, I talk to the trees said:

Hugs to you, OP! I know it’s rough. Dh is on an immunosuppressant, dd has a grab-bag full of autoimmune issues, and I have asthma, so we have been super cautious from the start of this thing. (Dh’s parents are pretty much COVID deniers, and dh himself was very reckless at the beginning, but I think having a Crohn’s diagnosis and being put on an immunosuppressant, along with losing a couple of cousins, cured him of that line of thinking.) We are still masking with n95s whenever we are indoors (except at home), but not outdoors unless there is a large group, or there is no room to distance. We have been on the receiving end of some pretty hostile glares, but I have also noticed that when I do see others who are still masking, there is a genuine gratitude in their eyes. I always smile back under my mask and hope I project the same to them. 
 

To anyone out there who is still masking, either out of necessity or out of thoughtfulness, please accept my sincere thanks! It really does mean a lot when I encounter a fellow masker, so know that you could really be making someone’s day not by smiling at them, but by covering that smile! 

Love that.  I always cheer people on that are masking still.  It isn't always an easy thing to do.  

We are still masking in all indoor situations and some outdoor ones.  I am still not comfortable going to crowded indoor things without any protocols.  And yes we have all been sick way less.  And that is so amazing.  I always am a bit jealous of people not masking and not worried about living life like normal.  I always think that if we have had covid we would drop the masks and live life like 2019 until the next variant.  But the not getting all the other sicknesses is a really nice perk.  I know some of my kids are getting a bit tired of it because some places they go they will be the only teen doing it.  I give them so maybe pats on the backs for keeping wearing their masks while doing dance intensives when not a lot of others were. 

It would be so hard to have a difference of opinion on this in the house. 

We Definity will be buying and using masks in a lot of situations no matter what happens.  Doctor office, airplane flights, going to the theater in the winter.

Masks are really hard to wear outside in the humid summer heat, but in winter we all love them.  They keep you warmer.

[Kanin]

2 hours ago, AmandaVT said:

I'm going to be one of two, maybe three teachers masking when school starts back in a few weeks. I'm guessing we'll have 0-3 kids masking as well.

Same here!

[Clarita]

3 hours ago, shawthorne44 said:

One thing that really jumped out at me in the second post was hating to quarantine.   I hope no one actually thinks you don't have to quarantine if you wear a mask.   What was probably meant was that not getting sick means you don't have to quarantine.   I think that the changed the definition of who needs to stay home when sick and for how long might be a long-term benefit to our society.  It used to be that only the person that was sick stayed home and even then sometimes only if there was a fever and even then only until they felt better if it was at least two to three days after symptoms.  The new definition seems to be that everyone in the family stays home for at least a week.   THIS is what will slow the spread of disease.  

Sorry I was unclear. I quarantine and isolate for COVID. So, just saying it sucks to do. It has exposed the number of people who also feel it's OK to mingle with others while they have cold/flu. Sure I get the people who need to go to jobs, but I also have SAHM friend who sent their kid to school with sniffles because she "thought it was just the cold".  

[PronghornD]

If family members don't mask, I recommend that you continuously use air filters at home to reduce the possible viral load.

[KeriJ]

I should know this, but what is the reason that the message "my mask protects you,  your mask protects me" has now changed to masking for your own protection? 

[Jean in Newcastle]

7 minutes ago, KeriJ said:

I should know this, but what is the reason that the message "my mask protects you,  your mask protects me" has now changed to masking for your own protection? 

Because so many people don't want to be protected.  They think that it's "no big deal".  And they have no desire to help anyone else so why beat your head against the wall? 

[Jean in Newcastle]

2 hours ago, shawthorne44 said:

Nothing is certain yet.  But, it is looking like the long version is really mono which was triggered.  Mono is something we have more experience with.   If you've had mono and/or knew someone who has, the duration depends largely on your activity level, particularly early on.  Ignoring it and going about your life means it will be around for a long time.  

Mono triggered my lifelong (so far it's been almost 40 years) struggle with fibromyalgia.  There is no known cure.  In some ways I'm in remission as in I'm not having constant flares anymore but it's always there making me feel like I have the flu 24/7.  I don't wish this on anyone.  It's one of the reasons I was so vocal about being Covid cautious from the start.  As far as the ignoring thing, I was under a doctor's care (as I was extremely ill with other infections at the same time).  I still ended up having chronic pain and illness from then on. 

There are things that have helped me as far as inflammation goes and have helped my brain fog and have helped me to be more functional in life.  So there are "treatments" but so far for me, they have helped me to be more functional in life without actually taking the fibro away.  Everything I read about Long Covid is very similar to my fibro journey.  But of course I don't know how long it will last for them since it's still early days - relatively speaking. 

[KeriJ]

8 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Because so many people don't want to be protected.  They think that it's "no big deal".  And they have no desire to help anyone else so why beat your head against the wall? 

That I understand.  But earlier in the pandemic it was stressed that wearing a mask does not protect the wearer. So I am trying to understand all those who are now wearing them for their own protection. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Just now, KeriJ said:

That I understand.  But earlier in the pandemic it was stressed that wearing a mask does not protect the wearer. So I am trying to understand all those who are now wearing them for their own protection. 

I don't think that it was ever meant to imply that masks didn't protect the wearer at all.  It's just that unless you were wearing a sealed respirator, there were still ways that virus from someone else could get by the mask.  So when I say that I'm wearing it for my own protection, I recognize that particles from a sick unmasked person can still reach behind my (non-respirator) mask.  But it still blocks a large portion of the particles so it does protect me somewhat - especially from a bigger viral load. 

[catz]

8 minutes ago, KeriJ said:

That I understand.  But earlier in the pandemic it was stressed that wearing a mask does not protect the wearer. So I am trying to understand all those who are now wearing them for their own protection. 

This varies a lot by quality of mask. We have consistently been using KN95s or better the past year.  My daughter has had known exposures many times in these masks and has not gotten covid.  

[rebcoola]

We were masking indoors and made it through the year with one in regular public school and the other in 1 day a week school plus multiple plays. 

Only to somehow get it this summer outdoors.  I guess we should have masked outdoors to but it's just so miserable in 100 + degree heat.

 

We all got it and it was miserable we were very close to taking the 3yr old to the hospital for fever dehydration. 

 

[Lawyer&Mom]

It’s so frustrating.  We had covid in March of 2020 before the shutdown.  We managed to avoid reinfection for two years.  Once the school dropped the mask requirement in April of 2022 we have had covid *twice*.  Once in May and *again* in July.  We still mask everywhere, still don’t go to restaurants.  Turns out you really do wear the masks for others, and I’m pissed others don’t care to protect me. 

[prairiewindmomma]

52 minutes ago, KeriJ said:

I should know this, but what is the reason that the message "my mask protects you,  your mask protects me" has now changed to masking for your own protection? 

It's reciprocal thinking, meant to encourage social behavior. Also, if both parties are masked, the overall potential viral load being released is much lower.  Some people do not want to mask or do not see the benefit to doing so, even though there are plenty of aerosol studies out there showing that quality masks do protect the wearer AND reduce/stop the transmission of the virus.

N95 or equivalent>surgical>cloth  still holds. When I say that I mask for me, I mean that I am wearing a N95 because I believe it provides benefit to me.  I often say that to socially excuse whoever in front of me is not choosing to mask because they are often confrontational about why I continue to mask when they themselves do not. The "I do me, you do you" argument seems to satisfy them.

ETA: I do believe that if everyone were to wear consistently wear N95s or equivalents that we would see much lower viral transmission levels. I also believe that there is almost no likelihood of that happening.

Edited August 2, 2022 by prairiewindmomma

[Ali in OR]

7 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

For me, not having the inconvenience of being sick during the school term when I need to work is worth it. 

Yep--and this is why I will probably put my N95 back on when school starts here. I don't care if other people aren't comfortable around MY mask. They aren't the ones paying the price if I get sick. And I did finally get Covid in June after school got out (not sure where, but I would guess from another teacher who had it the week before and came to our math department outdoor end-of-year party on his day 10. I masked with the surgical type mask since we were outdoors and I took it off for eating). My Covid case was mild--the kind of cold symptoms we all used to still go to work with (thank you vaccine and boosters). The cost I'm worried about is having to plan for subs who can't teach math for a whole week, basically lose a week of instruction, and then try to catch kids up when I'm back. And I now know that all of us who come back after 1 week are likely still positive--I was. Pretty sure I had Omicron BA2, so while I'm feeling less vulnerable now just past my illness, I don't think I have enough protection to keep me from getting BA5 without a mask.

The end of the year I was having 2 or 3 students in my classes testing positive each week. In January/February it was many more. I was very happy that I made it through the end of the school year without getting it--N95, open windows, air filter. I do think it's easier to teach without a mask on and easier for kids to hear me and/or read lips. But if there is a good chance one of them will make me sick, masking is the better choice for me.

[PerfectFifth]

I’ll mask once I start teaching.  Maybe 30% of students mask and I’m usually one of the only faculty masked. I’m  decades older than the faculty so they leave me be and are respectful but many of them have had Covid 3-4 times already. If I get it, I get it but I’ll do everything I can to try and dodge the bullet.  My family masks almost all the time. Not outside. Too hot but definitely inside unless actively eating.  My son is a T1 diabetic.  We don’t know how it’ll affect him so we’re cautious.  If people look at me funny I just smile and move on. I have no problems with others not masking as long as they are respectful of me., but I do think wonder if masks hadn’t become so political if we would have seen the back of this a while ago. 

[AmandaVT]

1 hour ago, KeriJ said:

That I understand.  But earlier in the pandemic it was stressed that wearing a mask does not protect the wearer. So I am trying to understand all those who are now wearing them for their own protection. 

I've seen various graphics similar to this one that make sense to me. So one person wearing a mask is one layer of protection. And it's better for the sick one to be the one, but it at least helps a little if the healthy one is masking. And it's best if both parties are masking. Which makes sense. If I wear a mask and you sneeze on me, the mask will protect me some? But if you're wearing a mask and you sneeze in my direction, there's a lot less of a chance I'll end up with your sneeze particulates on me. Lower still if we both mask. (Not that I'm saying you'd aim your sneezes at me!!) 😂

[kokotg]

I'm still masking because I prefer not being sick to being sick. I'm continually mystified that this is such a minority position these days, particularly since people are getting covid for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc time...i.e. even if I get covid now despite being cautious, having avoided it up until now still had value (and there is no such thing as "getting it over with"). I'm fortunate in having my family on the same page; if they weren't, that would be very frustrating, but I would likely still wear a mask myself because, as has been pointed out, that would still be reducing the chances of covid being introduced into my household. 

[cintinative]

OP, I think i have mentioned I am in the same boat as the rest of my family doesn't see the point in the precautions.  Unfortunately we had our first round of COVID here over the last month. Since my husband and kids don't mask and we had a very contagious variant, it wasn't all that surprising. Interestingly, I got a much, much milder version (in fact, never tested positive on PCR or rapid), most likely because I masked before and after they were identified with COVID.  

I have been seeing here and there articles that insinuate that the more times you have COVID, the more likely you are to develop long COVID. Long COVID is something I really, really want to avoid, as someone who already has issues with fatigue and pain because of a neuro condition.  I wouldn't say I am scared. I would say I want to be prudent. And for me, that means masking.

I also feel like there is a solidarity element for me with this. I hate that there is so much peer pressure the other way (to not wear them), especially here where we are, and so I do feel like it is an unspoken word of "I see you" to the health vulnerable. Maybe that is presumptuous of me. It breaks my heart to think people don't care about others. A couple months (?) ago, I was waiting for my son to get done with an appointment and a couple was there with a small child. They were double masked, which is pretty rare nowadays, and their little girl was evidently getting her first COVID shot.  I don't know this family, or the reasons why they have to be so careful, but I guess that's exactly it. We don't know other people's stories.

As a Christian, I find myself reflecting on the verse, "he who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17).  I think of that especially when I look around and I am in the 1% that are masking and feel weird.  I have to do what I know is the good I ought to do. Others might define that good differently, but if I cave to peer pressure, I am going against my conscience and only hurting myself.  

[Arcadia]

42 minutes ago, PerfectFifth said:

I have no problems with others not masking as long as they are respectful of me., but I do think wonder if masks hadn’t become so political if we would have seen the back of this a while ago. 

My democrat voting friends are anti-mask. Same for my husband’s colleagues. For them, its a matter of comfort (mask being uncomfortable) and harder to speak and hear. We are still having to talk much louder for the pharmacist to hear our name and birthdate, though you could write those details in large print and show them, or some people just pass their state ID to the pharmacist. 
Before the pandemic, the medical centers we go to all required masking during flu season. Some of those who accompanied the ill would comply while some would leave. Usually more than half would leave rather than put on a mask (provided). So anti-masking has been here all along, way before the pandemic (before DS16 was born).