Want to remove the mask

[joedplumber]

I’m in CT were the state is following the CDC guidelines. Went to several stores where you don’t need a mask inside. I want to not wear it inside but am worried about being confronted by people. Am I overthinking this?

 

[Brett Wyman]

Just respect your state, local and retailer's policies and screw what anyone else thinks.

 

[_19disnA]

I have yet to see any business where they say you cannot wear a mask. If you feel more comfortable wearing one, there is nothing that prevents you from doing so. When out in public you have NO idea who is vaccinated and who isn't. States with a big push to reopen doesn't change the reality of how easily covid can be spread and there are still a large number of people not vaccinated.

 

[joedplumber]

I have yet to see any business where they say you cannot wear a mask. If you feel more comfortable wearing one, there is nothing that prevents you from doing so. When out in public you have NO idea who is vaccinated and who isn't. States with a big push to reopen doesn't change the reality of how easily covid can be spread and there are still a large number of people not vaccinated.

Target, CVS, Starbucks, Homedepot, Trader Joe’s to name a few.

 

[_19disnA]

I think you misread my post........are you saying those stores do NOT let you wear a mask?

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

As long as your following the rules/recommendations of your locale and the store, and you’re fully vaccinated, you should be fine. You may get looks, but I don’t think anybody will confront you. You could always carry a mask in your pocket and put it on if you get uncomfortable with any reaction you may get. It may be a slow process, but I think you’ll start seeing more and more without the mask.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I think you misread my post........are you saying those stores do NOT let you wear a mask?

But I think you misread his original one. He wants to ditch the mask in stores.

 

[joedplumber]

I think you misread my post........are you saying those stores do NOT let you wear a mask?

Oh, I might have. Those stores policies are now if vaccinated no mask inside is required.

 

[OKbyme]

I've been in many places this past week, and everybody was still wearing them. Our bank had sign up that masks were "requested", so I don't think a lot of businesses are all that ready to move forward either.

Somebody has to go first. I think many people are probably still concerned about being reprimanded for not having one on, but if the business is OK with it, go for it.

 

[BrianL]

While you are fine doing what local mandates and store policies say, in some cases it will make people more comfortable if you continue to wear the mask. There are many places whee I don't "have to" but I am still doing it. This will likely change gradually, but I have no problem just being courteous to employees and others.

 

[leahgoogle]

Target, CVS, Starbucks, Homedepot, Trader Joe’s to name a few.

I was in Target yesterday. I would say 50% of employees and patrons were wearing masks.

 

[neverlandsky]

There's such mixed information out there right now. For example, retailers have said nationally you don't need the mask inside if you've been fully vaccinated. Our state ordinance said the above can only happen if retailers have someone at the door checking their fully vaccination status. All retailers in our area have masks needed indoors right before you enter because they can barely get people hired in to do a normal job. Therefore hiring someone to check vaccination status won't happen here. So 99% is in masks indoors in our area. I saw 1 without a mask yesterday indoors at a major retailer.

Another example, school was requiring all graduating students and spectators to wear masks outdoors. The school district just came out and said, No masks are needed outdoors vaccinated or not. Depending how close we are sitting next to people outdoors at Oldest's graduation, we may be stilling wearing ours. Heck we were walking through a parking lot yesterday with someone hacking away bad no covering their cough.

Follow Local,State, and even School District ordinances. Yes they are different.

 

[joedplumber]

I was in Target yesterday. I would say 50% of employees and patrons were wearing masks.

Oh wow. Didn’t realize that employees didn’t need to wear masks at Target. That’s good to hear.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I’m in CT were the state is following the CDC guidelines. Went to several stores where you don’t need a mask inside. I want to not wear it inside but am worried about being confronted by people. Am I overthinking this?

In NJ, it's been announced that vaccinated residents do not need to wear masks as of May 28th. So we're not quite there yet. I am interested to see how it's going to go here. I'm thinking it will be a gradual kind of thing. I would think if people begin to see employees no longer wearing them, that it may make them feel more comfortable. I will keep wearing one until I see a majority of people without them to respect others and especially children who are not yet vaccinated. I guess I'm in kind of "let's see how it goes" mode.

 

[leahgoogle]

Oh wow. Didn’t realize that employees didn’t need to wear masks at Target. That’s good to hear.

I was actually surprised to see it because every other retailer I’ve been to lately have had all employees wearing masks regardless. It was good to see.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

Our local Target still requires masks, so I wore mine in there. Our local Trader Joes no longer requires masks, so I did not wear one in there. All of the employees and most of the customers in TJ were wearing masks. Some people may have cared, and some people may not, but being fully vaccinated, I am going to drop the mask now if a company's policy does not require it.

 

[SteveH]

The Friday after the announcement Costco dropped the mask requirements, we arrived at the store and read the sign - already knew about the change as a friend had sent us his pic of inside Costco mask free. That night I'd say 95% of the people were masked, I felt nervous at first but my wife and I went in to do our regular shopping. I got a couple of odd looks, but then down the main aisle I came across the first other mask-less shopper then two employees. That was a bit of a relief knowing I wasn't alone.

I did have one woman give me a rather dirty look down a side aisle, I politely let her know they had officially dropped the masking requirements at Costco and I was fully vaccinated. She looked a bit confused, which I understand too.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

1) CDC guidelines
2) State or county or city guidance and/or mandate
3) Business policy (and specific areas within a business)
4) Type of setting

The above may mix and match to get different rules to follow.

If you're in a business that doesn't require masks for fully vaccinated and your local area doesn't have a mask mandate it's just going to be up to your comfort level. It's going to be an adjustment for everyone. Those who may continue to want to be wearing a mask should be respected and those who may want to remove the mask should be respected as well. Understandable that there is a trust concern between those vaccinated and those unvaccinated. I don't know the answer to that other than to say confrontation is not acceptable to me regardless so I sure hope you don't have any of that happen. Much of this seems to be location driven insomuch that some locations have higher mask-wearing still and some have low-wearing and so experiences may be very different for that reason.

 

[ronandannette]

It seems surreal to hear our American neighbors discussing how to transition away from the mask mandates while here in Canada ours are actually becoming more stringent. As of a week ago there is no longer any medical exemption on the “honor system” - an official exemption document from a qualified medical or mental health professional must be presented while unmasked in any public place and businesses MUST verify. They are the ones that get fined if people are found to be unmasked on their premises.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The Friday after the announcement Costco dropped the mask requirements,

They didn't drop the mask requirements. They said fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks (so long as state or local rules didn't apply). That's different than businesses that have removed a mask requirement entirely and don't make a distinction between fully vaccinated and not.