Anyone still masking?

[mommyoffive]

Is anyone still masking?  If so, in what situations?  Do you use anything to make your determination?

Have you had covid that you know of?

 

[Wilma]

Not at all, unless required in a medical office. 5/6 had COVID once, a year and a half ago. 1/6 had it twice.

[wathe]

Yes.  I mask in any indoor space that is shared with people who don't live in my household.  As do all members of my household.

None of us have had covid yet.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yes I mask in all indoor public spaces and all indoor spaces that are not my home. I use the knowledge that covid is not gone and that I am high risk, to determine that course of action. ps- we haven’t had Covid yet either   

Edited April 6, 2023 by Jean in Newcastle

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Yes. Indoors and outdoors.

Three of us mask indoors at home as well, whenever we are near our high-risk family member. 

This is just our new normal, and we are all comfortable and happy with this. 

We have two exceptions.

One is when our performer daughter is on stage. She masks at every moment possible except while actually performing or filming or being photographed. 

Second is when my husband has to do schmoozy work dinners.

My husband caught Covid while travelling overseas for work (hello, unmasked work dinners). The rest of us have not had it (or anything else now in years).

 

[KSera]

25 minutes ago, wathe said:

Yes.  I mask in any indoor space that is shared with people who don't live in my household.  As do all members of my household.

None of us have had covid yet.

Same as all of this. 

[Spy Car]

🙋‍♂️

I'm still masking using high quality masks when indoors in public spaces (and in indoor private spaces outside my home).

Knock wood, I've avoided getting Covid thus far.

Bill

 

[Kassia]

I haven't had Covid but my exposure has been very low.  I did mask all the time until recently.  Now I only do for appointments that require them. 

[Annie G]

We’re not masking unless required, such as a doctor’s office. 
I don’t know that any of us living here have had Covid (me, dh, ds). We’ve tested every time we’ve felt off, but never had a positive result. Doesn’t;t mean we haven;t had Covid, just that we’re not aware of it. 

[Shoeless]

We mask indoors. I do admit that I have sometimes dashed into the post office without a mask, (in and out in under a minute).

No covid here that we know of.

[MEmama]

Yes, mostly. Admittedly I do make exceptions.

At home I mask whenever I'm in indoor public spaces, except I meet a friend once a week for coffee and because winter, we've been meeting indoors. I do mask every time I go to the grocery or Target (my usual errands) and have noticed more people doing so. Masking is sporadic now in my community,  but not at all uncommon. The doctors offices all still require it, thank goodness, and it never feels weird or unusual anywhere here.

When we travel we've been a bit more lax and mask intermittently. I don't know that there's rhyme or reason, or if because it isn't all the time it makes the times we do performative,  but so far been lucky and neither DH nor I have gotten Covid that we know of or suspect. We always mask in airports and planes (except we do eat), usually on trains and sometimes on busses. *No one* was masking in Portugal when we were there recently, though we did sometimes and it was nbd. Some people were masking in Dublin, but fewer than here where we live and fewer than last time we were there in the fall. No one anywhere gives us grief regardless, thankfully. We had a tour guide that put his on at certain times (we were in a crypt, in close quarters), and not at others. People seem pretty chill everywhere we've been. I think we've been really lucky.

I will say on our recent flight home from Dublin there was a very sick looking young woman sitting behind us who freely and unapologetically hacked and coughed the entire flight. 6 or so hours of sharing her space our masked selves came home with nary a sniffle. I overheard two men getting off the plane remarking that that the plane sounded like a TB ward and thus assumed they were going to get very sick. I am a big, big believer in masks and will never give them up.

Oh! And cool thing: as we were waiting to de-board a woman in front of us complimented my mask and we started chatting and I gave her one and she was sooo happy and grateful to learn about one that is so comfortable (and cute) , it totally made my day. 🙂 

[happi duck]

30 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Yes I mask in all indoor public spaces and all indoor spaces that are not my home. I use the knowledge that covid is not gone and that I am high risk, to determine that course of action. ps- we haven’t had Covid yet either   

Same!

[athena1277]

Haven’t work a mask since the mandate lifted eons ago, except in certain medical settings where it was required.  We had Covid once for sure, another time we were all sick with various things for 3 weeks.  Some things that say it was Covid and others that it wasn’t.  

[itsheresomewhere]

Only for medical offices or around certain people.  We had covid before it was known to be here.  Nothing since then. 

[elegantlion]

Still masking a lot but I'm not consistent. For instance, I was just a thrift store, forgot my mask, and someone nearby was coughing. /sigh/ I'm hoping it was allergies. I'm immune compromised, so anytime I go where there are a lot of people, I try to mask. Anyplace where I'll be sitting for a while - such as doctor's office, nursing home, I for sure wear a mask. 

I've had Covid, at least once, maybe twice (they weren't testing everyone the first time I think I had it). 

[PronghornD]

I mask with a high-quality mask in all indoor spaces except when eating. And even when eating, I remove the mask, eat, and then immediately put it back on as the social event continues. My husband masks a little less strictly and does not mask on his occasional work trips, except maybe during the actual travel. He thinks he would not be able to sell anything if he wore a mask. Our college kid masks most of the time. They are Asian, and they say most of the maskers at college are black or Asian. Perhaps that makes it easier for them.

My husband got covid in March 2020 when things were shutting down. I have not had it to my knowledge. Our child has not tested positive but was oddly ill after hobnobbing with cousins (unmasked some of the time) during our family reunion last summer.

[bookbard]

I mask at work and indoor settings such as shops, doctor's offices. I have had covid (my husband brought it home - he doesn't mask) - and it was awful. I would not want it again, and I'm very concerned about long covid. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

Only in places it’s required such as hospital and doctors offices.

Had Covid once pre vaccine and one post vaccine.  Despite numerous heavy exposures including close contact for 24 hours straight with someone who tested positive the next day, I haven’t caught it again.

[prairiewindmomma]

We are still masking in all indoor spaces with N95s or KF94s. Dh has attended a couple of work dinners, where he unmasks to eat. We sleep apart when he has to do so, and run air purifiers at home. My school attendees do eat at school, but in spaces away from others.

They have all not gotten COVID yet. I have had it, from an outdoor dining experience where my family was also with me unmasked to eat. It is not surprising that I am the only one who fell ill, as I am on immunosuppressants. I did become rather ill (needed nebulizer treatments at home) and I do still have some orthostatic dizziness post COVID (6 months later). Neither of those things were much of a surprise given my track record either with influenza and EBV.

[TheReader]

We've stopped, pretty much. One of my kids sometimes does still. For me personally, I  only do if a medical office requires it, basically. 

I've had both doses of the vaccine, plus the original booster, plus the newer Omicron specific booster, plus we had Covid in Dec 2021, right before our first booster. 

Since then, we've attended concerts, theme parks, and plane travel w/o masks - and w/o subsequent illness. 

[Harriet Vane]

Yes, I mask in indoor spaces that are not my own home. However, I've made some exceptions purely out of social pressure. We were the only ones masking at church for quite a long time, and we've chosen to make church our big exception. Honestly, this was more important to dh than to me. At the moment we watch the full service online but go to just our Sunday small group in person. We put an air purifier in the room and we make sure to both run it and to crack the windows. It also helps that the room is off in a wing alone, so there's never a huge crowd there.

We are fully vaccinated, but I am concerned about continuing high rates of transmission and the impact of long covid. I did have covid at the beginning of the pandemic and it was mild enough to remain home but also definitely went into mild pneumonia, and I continued to struggle with breathlessness for a couple months. It took a while to get back to exercising at full capacity. I don't want to accept another illness unless I have to.

My other metric is my personal health. I have had severe reactions to antibiotics in the past, one of which nearly killed me. I have not taken any antibiotics since that hospitalization (other than topically) and I also cannot take steroids due to my chronic connective tissue disorder. Since my treatment options for illness are limited, I try to go the extra mile to stay healthy.

 

[Malory]

Haven't masked since the mandates lifted except where required in doctors' offices. All of us have had covid 2x whether unvaccinated, vaccinated, or boosted.

[Ditto]

Absolutely.  Always when indoors in public places (including church).   However, in small groups and outside I do not.

[AmandaVT]

Yep - I work in a middle school, so masking is as much for not getting sick as it is for blocking middle school smells. 🤢 Also, as a bonus, I can cover my 'wtf' face as needed. I mask in stores, at work, and at appts. I do not mask in friends' homes or when we have people over.

I'm the only teacher masking at school all the time. I've noticed that they will all mask when sick, which is considerate. We have 2 students who mask as well, and I will continue masking as long as they do because I want to make sure they're not feeling totally alone. (also I've quite enjoyed not having a cold for 3+ years now and think I'd be a gigantic baby if I got one)

[Resilient]

Nope. Took it off as soon as I could, and live pretty much like I did before. DH same, DS same. No COVID for any of us.

[Acadie]

Yes, we're masking in public spaces including school and work. Dd16 unmasked this winter for indoor track events, and dh unmasks at work dinners briefly to eat/drink, but mostly wears his mask at the table. 

I haven't had Covid that I know of.

Dd20 had it twice, once before school shutdown in March 2020 (dx Covid toes that April), and once after the mask requirement was lifted at her college last spring, which resulted in Long Covid.

Dd16 had it twice too, once when there was an outbreak on her basketball team (despite masking herself), and once after a friend's party where she unmasked only to eat. 

Dh had it once after going to a pub in Galway unmasked. It took him 2 months to get back to running and he's a dedicated mask wearer now. 

I'm figuring out how to make our patio an appealing social space for spring/summer/fall. Almost no one else is masking but we're super aware of the potential long term impacts. 

[Acadie]

7 minutes ago, AmandaVT said:

We have 2 students who mask as well, and I will continue masking as long as they do because I want to make sure they're not feeling totally alone. 

So kind of you! This is a really tough time for kids and teens who are still masking. 

[Loowit]

Yes, we still mask when indoors in public or in crowded outdoor spaces.  We will continue to mask at healthcare facilities even though the mandate has gone away in our state this week.

One of DD's professors requires masks in her classroom.  One of her classes is a tea ceremony class so she has to take it off to drink the tea, but otherwise she is masked.  She also takes it off when she is competing in speech and debate only when giving speeches.

None of us have gotten covid that we know of but we have all had colds of varying degrees.  DS17 has had two in the last month.  One right after a robotics tournament, and then one this week after a scout outing last weekend.  There was a scout who had a "bad rabbit allergy".  Interestingly, many of the other scouts caught the "allergy", including DS, who is fortunately recovering nicely and should be well by this weekend so his sister can come home for Easter.

My DS who is in the Marines does not mask unless he is required to.  So far he has not gotten covid, at least that he has told me, but he has also had all of his shots and boosters.

[TexasProud]

No, nowhere anymore at all.  Didn't wear it on our mission trip because no one there wore it either. There was no Covid at the hospital. I caught Covid July of 2022. I was still wearing masks then and it was on a choir trip. I wore them everywhere except the concert and on the bus with the other participants when I caught it.  But no one wears them here at home and I haven't heard of anyone who has had it in the last couple of months. 

 

[catz]

Some places.  Like we go to a lot of shows and I am wearing them to those.  I have shifted on it a bit in the last month since our waste water really started falling.  But we travelled in Feb, I was masking a lot then and prior.  I have intentionally chosen some social activities to take a risk on at this point for my mental health.  

Some of my daughter's activities requires masking at times.  She has had covid.  DH and I have not that we know of.  We're all fully vaxed.

Edited April 6, 2023 by catz

[Clarita]

Mostly mask in grocery stores and the library type venues. Then we mask or don't mask depending on the rules. There is still a lot of masking going on and for certain activities still mandatory masking (although everything is moving towards more laxed). Doctor's offices and such in my area are still mandatory masks.

We had COVID. In fact we believe we got COVID before everything went into lock down. This was before tests were available and everything so unconfirmed. Later we got confirmed COVID even though we were diligently masking; once just the kids and me, once just my husband. 

1 hour ago, AmandaVT said:

(also I've quite enjoyed not having a cold for 3+ years now and think I'd be a gigantic baby if I got one)

My daughter who wasn't even 2 when the whole COVID thing started got the sniffles and acted like she was in a Jane Austen novel. Full on "Brother dear can you feed me water and food, I'm too weak, my nose is runny."    

[sassenach]

No, except at work. It’s still mandated at my hospital for employees but not patients or families. I don’t mask anywhere else. Covid once, summer of last year. 

[mathnerd]

100% masking using good quality masks in indoor spaces (and outdoors when in proximity to others). I live in an area where there are large groups of population who mask in malls, grocery stores etc. I would guess that on my trip to the grocery store last night, 25% of people were masked. I haven't had Covid so far that I know of.

[kathyl]

I still mask at group places like stores, any medical facilities, any airports/travel, and Planet Fitness.  Not when I'm outside unless it's a closed in type area with crowds.  Sometimes I'm the only one in the store and gym with a mask on.  

I also go to a tiny church rec gym where I don't usually mask.  I can time it so I'm the only one in the weight room.  But if someone comes in and is sniffling or coughing, or if they just look sick, I pull my mask out and put it on.  I do that anywhere.  Always have a mask in my purse or pocket and pull it out if needed.

I'm unvaccinated and I had covid, once, last summer.  The most surprising thing was the bad lower back pain.  And the fact that it seemed to be following the nervous system through the body. Other than those 2 things, it was similar to a lighter flu virus for me.  All my grown kids have had it (some vac and some unvac) and said the same thing.  It was interesting that they all had the same symptoms, too.

I continue to mask not just for covid.  I've really enjoyed not getting colds and other viruses over the last few years.  So I'll continue to mask for the foreseeable future, probably.

Edited April 6, 2023 by kathyl

[Ausmumof3]

I’m still masking at work, church and indoor business venues (as are my kids). We don’t mask at indoor get together with family and close friends so we still have some level of risk. So far, DH is the only one who tested positive for Covid and that was about three weeks after he quit masking. 

I’ve been feeling a bit of pressure to stop at work, (just the odd comment like, “sorry I can’t hear you” until I pull my mask down, which could be legit as I have a quiet voice) and not so subtle pressure from DH who thinks I’m being ridiculous at this point. Last time he had covid he isolated really well from us but I doubt he will next time.

He thinks those who are still sharing information about long-term effects are just trying to keep the attention going, or have their own agendas (this is certainly true in some cases but there’s a lot of middle of the liners as well who still have concerns). He also thinks the handful of people we know who have long covid are faking it, so I know how much help/sympathy I’ll get if it’s me.

Due to pressure, I have unmasked a couple of times at work when there’s less kids etc, but then I feel really worried for the next few days. If it was just for myself, I’d take my chances, because I hate standing out, but it’s my kids I’m worried about. I’m deeply angry with the media, politicians, and public health authorities for putting people in this situation, especially those who are high risk and can no longer access health care safely. I believe in 100 years sharing unfiltered crowded indoor air will be seen the way we now think about drinking contaminated water, but by then it will be too late for many.

[freesia]

When numbers start running high, I mask in public places but not with friends. Right now no masks. The medical place mandate is no longer in place. Next winter I may mask at doctors no matter what the numbers. 
 

I’ve never had Covid nor have two of my kids. I am wondering about genetic protection bc two of us have been exposed by dh, who has had it twice. 

[dirty ethel rackham]

I mask in medical offices (which meant work) and places of sustained exposure to large numbers of people ... like church, public meetings, concerts, etc.  Not so much at stores because I tend to shop off hours and don't spend much time in close contact with people.  If I think I might be coming down with something, I mask and test to protect others.  I had Covid in April 2022 (dh got it from a coworker who had  larger Easter gathering that ended up being a super-spreader.)  K has had it 2x's.  Dd has had it 2x's, Ds got it in May 2022 after attending dd's college graduation.  I did advise him to mask whenever possible since he was the only one who did not have it, but he was kind of lax at the ceremonies.  All of us are vaxed and boosted.  

[HSmomof2]

I’ll mask in healthcare settings or indoors in crowded places, which I’m almost never in. I work from home and time my shopping/errands to non busy times. We had Covid last summer. The only people I know IRL that haven’t had Covid are my dd and my mother—both have been exposed multiple times, have never been careful about masking, but have not gotten sick or tested positive after exposures. 
 

ETA: we are all vaccinated and boosted. 

Edited April 6, 2023 by HSmomof2

[Ausmumof3]

1 minute ago, HSmomof2 said:

I’ll mask in healthcare settings or indoors in crowded places, which I’m almost never in. I work from home and time my shopping/errands to non busy times. We had Covid last summer. The only people I know IRL that haven’t had Covid are my dd and my mother—both have been exposed multiple times, have never been careful about masking, but have not gotten sick or tested positive after exposures. 

It’s interesting isn’t it? I credit masking for us not getting it but my sister and husband have only just got it for the first time and they haven’t masked in ages. I still had a couple of tutor kids who never got it even when the rest of their class went down. (And I see them weekly and they weren’t coming in sick either… unless they were totally asymptomatic).

[Guest]

Usually not, except in medical buildings. Sometimes I will slap one on in a crowded store just ‘cause. I have never gotten COVID that I know of. 
 

I am not currently working in an office but when that resumes, I might wear one in office. The other lesser-discussed benefit is that I *knock on wood* also have not had a cold or flu since before 2020. Presumably masking has helped, along with the general fact that coughing in public is so stigmatized now, lol. 

[historically accurate]

I have had covid one time, May 2022. I'm as vaccinated and boosted as possible.

The only places outside home that I don't mask is in my (shared) offices. One office is huge with 1-2 co-workers depending on the day. My other office is smaller also shared with 1-2 co-workers. I have decided just to let it go during my work day mainly because I'm constantly taking the mask off to drink some water, eat a piece of candy, blow my nose, etc. I do mask to go out to the public areas of the library. 

I did not mask in book club the other night for the first time - still don't know how I feel about that. 2 of my kids mask all the time. DH masks at work, but not anywhere else. One child does not mask unless required.

Edited April 7, 2023 by historically accurate

[Not_a_Number]

We've varied. 

I had a pretty bad case of COVID and felt bad for months after. So then we were careful indoors over the winter, when cases were high. Plus there was SO MUCH STUFF going around -- we didn't want the flu or RSV, either! 

Now that cases are low again, we're going to stop masking again. I'd like to spend more time in coffee shops and the kids want not to mask in classes with friends. We haven't decided about the subway. 

I imagine that'll be our pattern moving forward, frankly. We don't LIKE masking much, but it seems worth it in certain circumstances. 

We also do expect to get COVID again. We'll vaccinate, of course. 

[Eos]

4 hours ago, wathe said:

Yes.  I mask in any indoor space that is shared with people who don't live in my household.  As do all members of my household.

None of us have had covid yet.

Same.  Dh finally had it three weeks ago but he also masks everywhere so that was weird.  None of the rest of us have had it, that we know.  We all mask religiously.  I was the only masked person at a fitness class I took tonight, always at stores, etc.

Edited April 7, 2023 by Eos

[The Governess]

I haven’t worn a mask for over a year except when required or when visiting friends or family members that were more comfortable socializing while masked. Haven’t worn a mask once this year. Haven’t had covid to my knowledge (I’ve tested during each known exposure and during the one mild cold I caught). 

[City Mouse]

I only mask when a specific location or person requests it even if it isn’t required. Mostly that has been at medical places or elder care facilities 

However, when I had a big vacation planned for Christmas break, I did mask at work (schools which did have active Covid exposures) for the two weeks leading up to my vacation. I did not want to risk the possibility of catching Covid to ruin my trip.

[popmom]

I have been very inconsistent with masking since February. No one else in my family was wearing them except me. Everyone here has had some sort of upper respiratory illness at different times since December. I am not masking at home, so it seems kind of pointless if they are going to bring it home to me. When they got sick, I made them test repeatedly for COVID, and every time it was negative. Even at the doctor's office.

None of my doctors even wear masks except my dentist. 

So I'm no longer masking to shop for groceries or whatever other errands or shopping I have to do. I eat in restaurants indoors again. It's been nice.

I would still mask if I went to a movie theater and it was crowded. But I just avoid situations like that. Even with a mask, I'm not comfortable going to a concert or movie. I mean--I'm not trying to get sick. 😉 At church I still sit outside the sanctuary, but I no longer wear a mask. 

[MaryCrawley]

The only time I've worn one after the mandates ended was at my son's pediatrician where it was forced. He has his yearly checkup in a few weeks, hopefully they've dropped the requirements---it appears the hospital group it is a part of got rid of the forced masking months ago.

 

DH and I are pretty sure we had it around Christmas 2021, but we didn't bother getting a test because there wasn't a benefit to doing so----the recommendation if it was that would've been rest and fluids, and the recommendation if it was the flu or some other virus would have also been rest and fluids, so we saved the co-pay and hassle of going to urgent care and just did exactly what we would have done for a sickness that occurred in 2019 or earlier. Our son was around us that entire time we were sick and he never caught whatever it was. 

[EKS]

In the past few weeks I've actually gone to two restaurants and started not masking in grocery stores and other indoor spaces.  I will still mask in airports and on airplanes, as well as in any indoor space that is crowded, not well ventilated, or where I need to stay in one place with other people for a long time.

Edited April 7, 2023 by EKS

[kbutton]

5 hours ago, wathe said:

Yes.  I mask in any indoor space that is shared with people who don't live in my household.  As do all members of my household.

None of us have had covid yet.

We had COVID last fall, but this is our policy. One DS has to unmask to eat at school. DH can’t always eat in a secluded area either.

[Corraleno]

Still masking in public places. I avoided covid for 3 years until DD brought it home a few weeks ago, but other than that I haven't even had a cold for last three years. DS only masks when flying, and he's had lots of colds but so far hasn't tested positive for covid.