What's your current mask etiquette?
bub said:
I was at City Winery Saturday night. They check everyone for vax confirmation. Most people once inside were unmasked however. Little tables were packed very tight. Shoulder to shoulder almost with people at other tables. I stayed masked. I feel pretty safe but I don't want to be the last soldier shot on armistice day. I want to get through this whole thing without getting sick. Outdoors, walking around I do not mask.
I dont think I will ever feel comfortable again at a venue such as this ( and the blue note) where the seatingis shoulder to shoulder. we saw Chris Botti at the blue note in nyc in jan 2020 -the seating was crazy ( the show was awesome) but even before covid-we decided that that seating was too close for comfort.
I was at (le) Poisson Rouge last night: Nate Smith, drummer and bandleader extraordinaire.
Tomorrow night the Mingus Big Band at Djangos (@ 7:30) and then Milo Z at the Red Lion (@ 10:00).
Thursday La Santa Cecelia at SOBs.
On the 19th, Forget The Whale down the street from me at the New Park Tavern, in Jersey City.
My kids are grown and on their own so now I indulge my love for live music. And if I get Covid again it'll be to a jazzy, funky beat.
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
Yeah, I hear ya, they pack 'em in at City Winery. I don't care for the place (nor their old location) but they have pretty good acts. (And for a place called a winery, the wine is real crapola.) Who did you see there? I saw Rodney Crowell there a few weeks ago. And I have tix to see the John Waters Christmas Extravaganza there on Dec. 12.
I saw Chuck Prophet, who I became a big fan of after seeing him and band at a Rent Party show a few years ago at the Woodland. Terrific band. Rodney Crowell is cool.
Fully vaxed and boostered, I've been wearing my mask indoors in stores and planes/public transportation. We've eaten indoors a couple of times, but I know I'd be uncomfortable unmasked in a crowded bar or similar.
I regularly volunteer outdoors where the policy requires everyone to mask. In a second volunteer activity, I work closely indoors, maskless, with other volunteers whom I've known for years. We all know everyone's vaccination status and share a common concern for each other's well-being. Sometimes we work with volunteers we don't know well--then, it is time to mask up.
I like going to Starbucks and ordering my pumpkin spice latte with no mask on while everyone else in the place is wearing a mask to make sure all their friends in town see they wear a mask too. LOL
I think if COVID was traced to a local Starbucks we might have heard about it by now people. You can't get COVID by ordering coffee!
And BTW, the best mask to wear while out in public is your mouth. If you keep it closed, nobody has to share anything you have to expel out of your pie hole!
I am hoping a certain post is just an immature prank to get people mad...yes you can get covid by ordering coffee. even before delta. there was a case of brief exposure from across a room. it was proved with tech (gps, security cams, etc) they used to say that it USUALLY took 15 minutes of exposure to get sick...but Delta is more contagious. If you are standing inside for 3-5 minutes with germs floating around, yes you might get covid.
and germs can pass through the nose
jmitw said:
I am hoping a certain post is just an immature prank to get people mad...yes you can get covid by ordering coffee. even before delta. there was a case of brief exposure from across a room. it was proved with tech (gps, security cams, etc) they used to say that it USUALLY took 15 minutes of exposure to get sick...but Delta is more contagious. If you are standing inside for 3-5 minutes with gers floating around, yes you might get covid.
and germs can pass through the nose
Unless your nose has the suction power of a brand new Dyson HEPA vacuum cleaner, I really doubt just walking into a place and breathing for 3-5 minutes can get you to become infected with COVID. That is just absurd to me. Imagine someone sneezing in a Starbucks with no mask and you suddenly enter the room and what? The germs just wander around in the air seeking out the lucky Dyson vacuum nose person? What kind of eruption of sneezing and/or coughing would someone have to be doing in a Starbucks or any other store to have a room full of germs? That's just incredible that anyone would believe that. I remember the CDC saying that germs could travel as far as 15 feet, and then they even said masks could not protect you. They actually said it was more about you protecting others, if you believed you could have COVID. If it were true that you could get COVID because someone sneezed in a room and you were breathing in it for 3-5 minutes, so many people would be dead by now that you shouldn't even be leaving your home. In Fact, you might have to close off your house, windows and all with some sort of membrane like a plastic film or some other type of protection to avoid getting COVID.
That is EXACTLY how the person got it in a case study. I don't know the size of the room offhand (it was a dining area with tables, they were well over 6 feet apart. She wasn't inside very long---and that was before delta..
there was another study of a coffee shop where MANY customers got sick.
heres one story
https://bgr.com/science/coronavirus-news-today-starbucks-outbreak-wear-face-masks/
while masks did protect the workers...this was before delta (56 people infected)
jmitw said:
That is EXACTLY how the person got it in a case study. I don't know the size of the room offhand (it was a dining area with tables, they were well over 6 feet apart. She wasn't inside very long---and that was before delta..
there was another study of a coffee shop where MANY customers got sick.
heres one story
https://bgr.com/science/coronavirus-news-today-starbucks-outbreak-wear-face-masks/
while masks did protect the workers...this was before delta (56 people infected)
Okay well, though I am not denying the veracity of your link like many people do, and I am willing to accept that I am wrong, the overwhelming reason people give for wearing their masks in public still is that "it is the polite thing to do". So I guess I'm not polite if I don't wear a mask? Am I still not polite if I am vaccinated and don't wear a mask?
My point is, I believe people are still wearing the masks to show that they wear masks, and not really to protect themselves against deadly coffeeshop dwelling germs.
At this point, the mask has become a symbol of unity among a certain group that shares similar political views nothing more. To me, it's silly that people just do it for show under the guise of wanting to be healthy or safe. It's not like you remove the mask and you drop dead. I wish people would be less dramatic and more practical/logical about masks.
It seems to me, for some time now, this is just a popularity contest. The mask wearers vs. the non-mask wearers.
At some point people are going to have to decide whether they want to be brave enough to resume their lives in a normal way or if they are forever going to be scared of the COVID boogey man lurking around every corner.
Here's a brief list of places I've been (before and after Delta, and before and after the vaccine) that do not require masks and I did not get sick nor was I diagnosed with COVID.
A rock concert
Casinos
Foreign countries
The supermarket
Starbucks
Public bathrooms
Banks
Restaurants
Planes
Hotels
Bars
This reminds me of that time right after 9/11 when nobody wanted to fly anywhere because everyone thought anyone could hijack a plane anywhere at any given time. I remember having a booked flight to Vegas for New Years Eve that year. I flew. Had a great time like many others did in Vegas that week. People just have to get past the fear and realize not everyone dies at the end of this story.
MOL has been attracting more than its usual share of idiots lately.
I don't know a single person this is true of. Certainly not me. I wear it, when I wear it, to protect myself, as do all of my family members friends colleagues etc. Yours is a right wing media talking point, not reality.My point is, I believe people are still wearing the masks to show that they wear masks, and not really to protect themselves against deadly coffeeshop dwelling germs.
bub said:
I don't know a single person this is true of. Certainly not me. I wear it, when I wear it, to protect myself, as do all of my family members friends colleagues etc. Yours is a right wing media talking point, not reality.
Yes, wearing a mask indoors, or even outside when around closely gathered people not wearing them, helps keep the virus spreading from PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT KNOW THEY HAVE IT. Some COVID positive individuals do not show any symptoms but can still pass it on. This is particularly the case in vaccinated persons.
Wearing a mask will provide protection for you as well as others. People who have not gotten vaccinated for whatever reason are still vulnerable like everyone was before vaccines were available.
Asymptomatic infections happened quite often from the start of the pandemic. I know this from working as a contract tracer for the Newark Department of Health and Wellness.
I find myself going with the flow in most cases. If, some of the people are masking up, then I mask up.
Now, when you go to a supermarket or the post office or, yes, Starbucks, masking up is a matter of decency and respect to the people who work there.
tjohn said:
Now, when you go to a supermarket or the post office or, yes, Starbucks, masking up is a matter of decency and respect to the people who work there.
Yup. If the employees have to wear masks, I honor that implicit request.
LaSalePute said:
Okay well, though I am not denying the veracity of your link like many people do, and I am willing to accept that I am wrong, the overwhelming reason people give for wearing their masks in public still is that "it is the polite thing to do". So I guess I'm not polite if I don't wear a mask? Am I still not polite if I am vaccinated and don't wear a mask?
My point is, I believe people are still wearing the masks to show that they wear masks, and not really to protect themselves against deadly coffeeshop dwelling germs.
At this point, the mask has become a symbol of unity among a certain group that shares similar political views nothing more. To me, it's silly that people just do it for show under the guise of wanting to be healthy or safe. It's not like you remove the mask and you drop dead. I wish people would be less dramatic and more practical/logical about masks.
It seems to me, for some time now, this is just a popularity contest. The mask wearers vs. the non-mask wearers.
At some point people are going to have to decide whether they want to be brave enough to resume their lives in a normal way or if they are forever going to be scared of the COVID boogey man lurking around every corner.
Let me see if I understand your broader point here -- it's important to your personal sense of worth that people notice you and validate your choices, so you go out of your way to publicly and visibly call attention to yourself. That's why, for instance, rather than just quietly slipping off your mask in situations you don't feel it is needed, you make a show of doing so, then go online and post about it. Did I get that right?
BTW the Covid "Boogeyman" has killed over 755,000 U.S. citizens, over 1200 people just yesterday, and there were 126,000 new cases yesterday, the most since late September. My understanding of the "Boogeyman" is that it's make believe.
WW II killed .34% of Americans (all causes including around 290,000 combat deaths, 114,000 other deaths - mostly sickness) in 4 years. Covid has killed .23% of Americans in around 20 months and it isn't done yet.
drummerboy said:
MOL has been attracting more than its usual share of idiots lately.
Or an unusual share of new accounts by the same troll
I continue to be amazed by “well, I haven’t gotten sick” people. I just don’t understand how you can misunderstand what it means to be asymptomatic. It seems so black and white to me.
LaSalePute said:
Okay well, though I am not denying the veracity of your link like many people do, and I am willing to accept that I am wrong, the overwhelming reason people give for wearing their masks in public still is that "it is the polite thing to do". So I guess I'm not polite if I don't wear a mask? Am I still not polite if I am vaccinated and don't wear a mask?
My point is, I believe people are still wearing the masks to show that they wear masks, and not really to protect themselves against deadly coffeeshop dwelling germs.
At this point, the mask has become a symbol of unity among a certain group that shares similar political views nothing more. To me, it's silly that people just do it for show under the guise of wanting to be healthy or safe. It's not like you remove the mask and you drop dead. I wish people would be less dramatic and more practical/logical about masks.
It seems to me, for some time now, this is just a popularity contest. The mask wearers vs. the non-mask wearers.
At some point people are going to have to decide whether they want to be brave enough to resume their lives in a normal way or if they are forever going to be scared of the COVID boogey man lurking around every corner.
Here's a brief list of places I've been (before and after Delta, and before and after the vaccine) that do not require masks and I did not get sick nor was I diagnosed with COVID.
A rock concert
Casinos
Foreign countries
The supermarket
Starbucks
Public bathrooms
Banks
Restaurants
Planes
Hotels
Bars
This reminds me of that time right after 9/11 when nobody wanted to fly anywhere because everyone thought anyone could hijack a plane anywhere at any given time. I remember having a booked flight to Vegas for New Years Eve that year. I flew. Had a great time like many others did in Vegas that week. People just have to get past the fear and realize not everyone dies at the end of this story.
did you test weekly? there is always the chance you had asymptomatic covid. people who are vaccinated are more likely to be asymptomatic yet have the virus and be able to transmit it. was the concert out doors? planes don't require masks? and just because you didn't get covid yet, doesn't mean you won't get it in the future.
LaSalePute said:
Imagine someone sneezing in a Starbucks with no mask and you suddenly enter the room and what? The germs just wander around in the air seeking out the lucky Dyson vacuum nose person?
Are you serious? That's EXACTLY how airborne pathogens travel and are communicated. A SARS-CoV-2 virus particle is about 50-120 nanometers, about 1,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair strand. It's not even visible under a regular microscope -- you can only see it under a scanning electron microscope. Your nose inhales it through normal breathing. Your statement is straight out of the flat earth society.
THIS is exactly why we are still in this pandemic. People who are so ignorant who cannot conceive of how the virus is transmitted. I'm sorry, but I get so angered by this kind of unenlightened nonsense.
I'm not scared, but I am careful, and wear a mask most places where I'm with people whose vaccine status I don't know. It isn't about political signalling, but about public health, based on my understanding of the science. I found masks that are comfortable, and I'm willing to wear them, just as I wear a seat belt every time I drive.
My cousin is trying to recover from an awful breakthrough case, complete with hospitalizations and inability to work -- since he is a gig worker, his financial well-being is at risk, as well as his health. Yeah, he has a risk factor or two (he is a cancer survivor with well-controlled diabetes), but isn't elderly, and was able to work and support his college-age kids until he "got sloppy about wearing a mask" (his words, not mine) and got sick (he believes it was either during a work-related limo ride or at an unmasked family wedding).
LaSalePute, since you've decided how you want to live, I won't lecture you about the science (not worth my time, I suspect). You've picked a somewhat higher risk strategy, and are bearing additional risk of disease, disability, and death. If you are OK with that, I'll somehow find a way to accept your choice...
As you say, everyone dies at the end of the story, but I'm not ready to end my story prematurely if I can avoid it.
"Bogeymen" are imaginary evil spirits in stories we use to scare children. COVID is real, and continuing to kill our fellow citizens -- you dishonor each victim when you call their cause of death a bogeyman.
i admit, i do some things that some people may feel is weird. For example, I just bought a new pillow a week ago. I will let it sit for 2 weeks in case it has any germs (I don't want to wash it and dry it or spray disinfectant on it). Sure, I've heard that germs have lingered much longer, but on a soft pillow, I feel safe that they have neutralized in 2 weeks....but other things like wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer when leaving the grocery store (especially after touching the self check out) aren't weird. I also only use self check out whenever possible to avoid germs (cashier picking up germs and transferring them to my items..some people think that is weird.
max_weisenfeld said:
Or an unusual share of new accounts by the same troll
I thought he was in Italy, complaining about paying VAT?
I wear a mask most of the time indoors except in private homes and that isn't all that often as it seems that most people are still hesitant to entertain extensively and I don't have a huge "entertainment circle" in the base case. However, I will occasionally eat at a not-too-crowded restaurant indoors and take my mask off at the table and I am in a play this week and next and will not be wearing a mask onstage. (But I have been masked for rehearsals.) My approach is to minimize exposure (even though I am vaccinated) whenever possible and one source of increased exposure is being unmasked among a number of different people from different groups who have their own network of different groups so the fewer unmasked exposures, the better as far as I'm concerned. I'm also trying out a lot of masks to try to be able to do this with the least amount of discomfort possible. I will be flying at Thanksgiving and Christmas (albeit not on the absolute peak travel days in either case) so it's not like I'm hiding away ... just trying to reduce exposure whenever reasonably possible.
shoshannah said:
Are you serious? That's EXACTLY how airborne pathogens travel and are communicated. A SARS-CoV-2 virus particle is about 50-120 nanometers, about 1,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair strand. It's not even visible under a regular microscope -- you can only see it under a scanning electron microscope. Your nose inhales it through normal breathing. Your statement is straight out of the flat earth society.
THIS is exactly why we are still in this pandemic. People who are so ignorant who cannot conceive of how the virus is transmitted. I'm sorry, but I get so angered by this kind of unenlightened nonsense.
Oh wow, did you hear that? Now we get the truth. If you wear a mask, you are enlightened. If you don't wear a mask then it means you are unenlightened.
I'm not sure who makes these rules, but they sure are entertaining.
This is the real reason for people wearing masks pure and simple. No health reason whatsoever. Just a way of separating the special people, from the rest of the disgusting mass of human flesh walking around aimlessly contributing to the contamination of our society both intellectually and by way of virus contagion. Yuk!
Yes, now you cannot even get sick naturally. You cannot even catch a cold. If you do, you must have acted irresponsibly and you are simply unenlightened. This doesn't sound like virtue signaling at all. This is totally normal.
How about people who are now going to be more exposed to future flu strands because of all this mask wearing? Did the enlightened people think of that? The flu kills many times more people than COVID annually, it is a proven fact and not protecting oneself against new strands will expose people to more strands. If you were not masked all the time, you would be better protected against new flu strands. Of course, you could get the flu shot, but lately you have to wait some time between getting the flu shot or any other shot and even taking medication and taking the COVID vaccine. That could potentially expose someone to the more dangerous strands of the flu, not the COVID and result in hospitalization and/or death because of being so cautious and enlightened wearing your pretty little masks walking around supporting the same team.
Keep it up, you are all in for a rude awakening because you are tampering with your body's natural immune system that has kept you alive for most of your life.
You're off by more than an order of magnitude, on the low side at that. COVID-19 and its variants circulating in America were associated with over 500,000 deaths from February 2020 to February 2021. The toll is over 780,000 U.S. deaths as of this month. Here's some data from the past 10 years.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1124915/flu-deaths-number-us/
Hey Straw, for someone who purports to be able to write a book you're not making a good show of it.
And by the way, an order of magnitude means by a factor of 10.
Delete your account.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2020-2021.htm
From that page:
What was the 2020-2021 flu season like?
Flu activity was unusually low throughout the 2020-2021 flu season both in the United States and globally, despite high levels of testing. During September 28, 2020–May 22, 2021 in the United States, 1,675 (0.2%) of 818,939 respiratory specimens tested by U.S. clinical laboratories were positive for an influenza virus. The low level of flu activity during this past season contributed to dramatically fewer flu illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths compared with previous flu seasons.
[[[[ First in the list of things that lessened the annual flu burden here? Wait for it....]]]]]
What are possible explanations for the unusually low flu activity?
COVID-19 mitigation measures such as wearing face masks, staying home, hand washing, school closures, reduced travel, increased ventilation of indoor spaces, and physical distancing, likely contributed to the decline in 2020-2021 flu incidence, hospitalizations and deaths. Influenza vaccination may also contributed to reduced flu illness during the 2020–2021 season. Flu vaccine effectiveness estimates for 2020-2021 are not available, but a record number of influenza vaccine doses (193.8 million doses) were distributed in the U.S. during 2020-2021.
LaSalePute said:
...How about people who are now going to be more exposed to future flu strands because of all this mask wearing? Did the enlightened people think of that? The flu kills many times more people than COVID annually, it is a proven fact and not protecting oneself against new strands will expose people to more strands. If you were not masked all the time, you would be better protected against new flu strands. Of course, you could get the flu shot, but lately you have to wait some time between getting the flu shot or any other shot and even taking medication and taking the COVID vaccine. That could potentially expose someone to the more dangerous strands of the flu, not the COVID and result in hospitalization and/or death because of being so cautious and enlightened wearing your pretty little masks walking around supporting the same team.
...
dumbest paragraph of the month
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its too easy to get a fake vax card..its the under 21 crowd that has the issue, the vax card doesn't match their fake ID