The Lounge Covid Vaccination Discussion Thread

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Yeah - same here - NC reinstated the indoors mask mandate but pushed the entire burden of enforcement upon the store owners.

It didn't help that the driver wasn't wearing one, and the bus company has a sign up saying "be kind, your driver may not be wearing a mask for health or safety reasons" - most likely a crippling case of cantbebothered-itis. As the only adult masked, I was pleasantly surprised when a teenage boy got on at a later stop wearing one, a nice counter to the "kids these days" mindset so appealing to many of us.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Yeah - same here - NC reinstated the indoors mask mandate but pushed the entire burden of enforcement upon the store owners.

Four of the seven county courthouses my office covers have reinstituted temp checks and screenings at the door, and all are requiring masks for entry. One guy refused to put a mask on last week - he was denied entry and his case was dismissed.

[Uncle Robin]

The cultural difference re mask between the Anglophone West in particular and East Asia is remarkable. Korean entertainment figures I follow on Insta post nearly all their photos showing them masked, even when posting videos of gym workouts or home Pilates/Yoga routines, or in a ballet lesson with only one other person present as in the attached screenshot . Many even promote various mask brands. Any unmasked photos are almost invariably accompanied by an explanation of why they are unmasked. A world away from the "Give me liberty or give me death" anti-maskrage spreading through the West

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

The cultural difference re mask between the Anglophone West in particular and East Asia is remarkable. Korean entertainment figures I follow on Insta post nearly all their photos showing them masked, even when posting videos of gym workouts or home Pilates/Yoga routines, or in a ballet lesson with only one other person present as in the attached screenshot . Many even promote various mask brands. Any unmasked photos are almost invariably accompanied by an explanation of why they are unmasked. A world away from the "Give me liberty or give me death" anti-maskrage spreading through the West

I think that it helps that masks were already much more normalized in places like Korea and Japan during cold and flu season, allergy season or due to air pollution. There is no accounting for the "it's my right!" folks. Can't be reasoned with.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

As a late riser, I really ought to try some 10pm shopping. Instead, I usually go around dinner time (for everybody else) and find that's not too bad.

I'm a night owl myself, and those have always been my usual shopping hours. I was out last night and there were only a couple of other customers in the store. We were slightly outnumbered by the employees restocking the shelves. There was one open checkout aisle, and there was no line to use it.

Everyone, including me, was masked.

[4691mls]

My local store doesn't replenish deli items in the evening and the rotisserie chicken display is empty at night, so if I want any of those things I can't do a night owl shopping trip.

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

My local store doesn't replenish deli items in the evening and the rotisserie chicken display is empty at night, so if I want any of those things I can't do a night owl shopping trip.

I'm not sure what time these are put out at my stores, but if you go before 10:00 in the morning, they aren't out yet. I don't buy them often, I'll have to pay more attention to see.

[poohbear_nc]

Well, our governor updated our statistics today ... which are now officially horrible. All 100 counties are in the 'red' zone of extremely high community transmission. Almost 3000 hospitalized. Higher numbers in ICU beds than any time last year. Averaging over 5000 new cases per day. >13% positive rate on covid tests.

And yet, all NC public schools are opening for in person classes despite all covid statistics clocking in higher than last year's figures -- which were used as the basis to halt all in person classes. With all <12 kids not vaccinated. And masking requirements up to individual school boards.

One of my co-workers told me she expects her kids to be in virtual classes by Labor Day. And is stocking up on KN95 masks for them to wear in class.

[mlewis78]

New York City (where I am) started requiring gyms and restaurants (for indoor dining) to ask for proof of vaccination on Monday (8/16). I went to the pool on Tuesday and showed them my card, so it's in their system. I am not sure if they still allow kids under 12 to go there (for swimming), but I think the are since the kids cannot get vaccinated if they wanted to.

I'm seeing more and more people at Whole Foods not wearing masks, maybe 30%. They still close two hours earlier than they did pre-pandemic. I do have one 24-hr. smaller supermarket within walking distance. My health club also closes two hours earlier than before. I hope they reinstate the later hours soon. I never stopped going to shop for food. At the beginning of the pandemic, our building intercom was broken the first 3 weeks.

[poohbear_nc]

And the beat goes on: over 7000 new cases, over 3000 hospitalized, averaging 50 deaths/day, positivity rate remains >10%

And the colleges all open for in person classes, as do the public schools. Mask mandates trickling in city by city. Spiraling outbreaks in nursing homes again - from unvaccinated staff. Hospitals maxed out and once again delaying non-covid related procedures.

I wonder where the politicians imagine the extra hospital beds and staff will come from?

Or has everyone just caved in and opted for herd immunity the hard, and deadly, way?

[4691mls]

In my county the public schools do have a mask requirement. One nearby county where it was optional has now made masks a requirement due to how many people ended up in quarantine after the first week of school. I hope some of the other school districts that began as optional will also see the light.

[binaryhermit]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I'm not sure what time these are put out at my stores, but if you go before 10:00 in the morning, they aren't out yet. I don't buy them often, I'll have to pay more attention to see.

I work in the front end of a grocery store, though probably not one of yours, and it seems to me that they start putting out hot deli stuff at 10 AM

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Any unmasked photos are almost invariably accompanied by an explanation of why they are unmasked.

Is it ever something like "I'm outside and there's nobody within 50 feet of me"? Because when I'm in such a situation I'm either carrying my mask or chin diapering but prepared to put it on and attempt my best to socially distance. I'm the only one who does that around here, though.

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Masks are mandatory on public transport here. As I type this I am the only person on this bus who knows what "mandatory" means, apparently.

I believe this is a federal mandate if you're in America.

[ownedbycats]

With my province deciding to soon lift the mask mandate despite Delta, I'll likely end up isolating in my apartment again.

[binaryhermit]

I'm jealous you can pull that off (but at the same time not really jealous, I'm more afraid that isolating for any significant amount of time would drive me toward suicide than I am of COVID.)

And our mask mandate is coming back Monday, apparently.

[cromag]

I had/have no trouble with isolating at home. Unfortunately, my wife and son are far more social than I am and it got on their nerves pretty quickly. So, for me, the worst part of self-isolating was being stuck in the house with with people who were climbing the walls with extreme cabin fever.