Who thinks the CDC will roll back their new mask rules from two days ago?

[mmouse37]

I am in NY and last I heard our Gov is still deciding if he will drop the mask mandate. Our neighbors in NJ are still under a mask mandate but CT is going to be fully open come May 19th. Thousands of people cross these tri-states every day so it seems silly they can't get all get on the same page. I live in NY but shop in NJ.

We went to a Town outdoor day today and only a handful of people were wearing masks. We felt totally safe. We have been going to indoor dining for months with no worries. I am more than ready to ditch the mask. I will wear one where required indoors but not outside. It was really wonderful to see people smiling again. I was very disheartened when I saw or read about kids being afraid to take off their masks.

MJ

 

[disneychrista]

I would feel more comfortable if the CDC waited for a larger percentage of the population to become vaccinated before making this change.

I agree with you on this and because of this will continue to be cautious and take the necessary precautions to protect myself. That includes getting vaccinated. I did NOT get vaccinated to help my community, I did it to protect ME from my community.

 

[kdonnel]

I went to Walmart and Publix today just because I could go without a mask.

I remember listening to a podcast a few years ago that talked about how easy it is for people to see the bad but then how difficult it is for people to recognize the good once they have seen the bad. The average person dwells on the bad and is very difficult to convince that the bad has passed.

Definitely seeing that play out on a large scale.

 

[goodeats]

I don't go anywhere unless I have to not because I feel unsafe, but because I don't want to have to wear a mask to do the things I used to love doing, and until that changes, I'd simply rather not do them. I.E if I can't go to Stateline Nevada and play Video Poker or watch football at the bar at Buffalo Bills without having to wear a mask even while drinking, I don't want to go. It's as simple as that. I mask when I do my necessary weekly errands and I don't complain about it, but it still robs the fun and joy out of being able to do things I once enjoyed doing, like going to the batting cages at Scandia.

I live in California, and as far as I know we're still under a "must mask" mandate.

I'm in CA too, and a lot of businesses have dropped their mask mandate - Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Costco, etc. To me the governor's order is not enforceable (except in government buildings like public schools or libraries) and doesn't apply in general life, but a business has always had the right to make their own rules. The dominoes are falling.

 

[Pink Partridge]

That genie is so far out of the bottle, it's in the next universe. No way would they be able to stuff it back in.

I do worry that the anti-vax/anti-mask people will (wink, wink) "why, yes I was vaccinated" and we'll see rates go up. For those folks, that's their choice and let Darwin decide their fate, but it's not fair to those that truly can't be vaccinated - kids, folks with valid medical issues.

But people have been going maskless/unvaccinated in several states for months now without huge outbreaks.

I will say, it is very confusing that the CDC is no longer concerned about children anymore. Some of these kids missed an entire year of in person learning in order to keep them safe, and all of a sudden we are going to use the Honor System to protect them? It's odd.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

The average person dwells on the bad and is very difficult to convince that the bad has passed.

See, that's the thing for me. Yes, I want so badly to drop the mask. I loathe it. But I'm not so sure the bad has completely passed. It's like when a boat goes by when you're swimming in the ocean and you avoid the large wake, but then one of the swells after the wake goes over your head. I'm in NJ, so it's not an issue for me yet, since our mask mandate is still in place. When it's lifted i don't know what to do.

 

[OhBother1984]

I give it a month maybe 2 at the most and masks will be gone and left to those who choose to wear them .

 

[kdonnel]

See, that's the thing for me.

I still have not found the podcast but the term is negativity bias. You are not unique.

https://www.psycom.net/negativity-bias

For starters, our proclivity for paying attention to negative rather than positive information is an evolutionary hand-me-down from our cave-dwelling ancestors. Back then, alertness to danger, AKA “the bad stuff,” was a matter of life and death. “We inherited the genes that predispose us to give special attention to those negative aspects of our environments that could be harmful to us,” explains psychologist and happiness researcher Timothy J. Bono, PhD, who teaches a course in the Science of Happiness at Washington University in St. Louis. In this way, dwelling on the “bad stuff” is similar to the sensation of pain–it’s our bodies working to keep us safe.

 

[Shellsbutt]

I'm in CA too, and a lot of businesses have dropped their mask mandate - Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Costco, etc. To me the governor's order is not enforceable (except in government buildings like public schools or libraries) and doesn't apply in general life, but a business has always had the right to make their own rules. The dominoes are falling.

I'm in Northern CA and just came back from Costco, everyone was still wearing masks I couldn't see if they still had the sign up on the door but I wasn't going to take mine off unless I saw the majority of people maskless. I would love to go shopping again without one, I'm fully vaccinated. I also shop at Trader Joe's and Sprouts and I'm assuming it will be the same at those stores because we are in CA, maybe they will be lifted on June 15th? I'm ready to get rid of the masks, just don't enjoy the judgement and stares from other people.

 

[disneychrista]

I'm in Northern CA and just came back from Costco, everyone was still wearing masks I couldn't see if they still had the sign up on the door but I wasn't going to take mine off unless I saw the majority of people maskless. I would love to go shopping again without one, I'm fully vaccinated. I also shop at Trader Joe's and Sprouts and I'm assuming it will be the same at those stores because we are in CA, maybe they will be lifted on June 15th? I'm ready to get rid of the masks, just don't enjoy the judgement and stares from other people.

Everyone was wearing masks at every store I went to today (Walmart, Safeway and COSTCO). People have been saying Costco did away with requiring masks for MONTHS and since they were one of the first to put in a mandate I am just not buying it. Same for TJ's.

 

[Cheburashka]

Everyone was wearing masks at every store I went to today (Walmart, Safeway and COSTCO). People have been saying Costco did away with requiring masks for MONTHS and since they were one of the first to put in a mandate I am just not buying it. Same for TJ's.

Here is Costco's updated mask policy. It's different based on location. In states & cities with no mask requirement, they've dropped their mask requirement for people who are fully vaccinated. In states & cities that still have a mask requirement, everyone still has to wear a mask.

https://www.costco.com/coronavirus.html

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm in Northern CA and just came back from Costco, everyone was still wearing masks I couldn't see if they still had the sign up on the door but I wasn't going to take mine off unless I saw the majority of people maskless. I would love to go shopping again without one, I'm fully vaccinated. I also shop at Trader Joe's and Sprouts and I'm assuming it will be the same at those stores because we are in CA, maybe they will be lifted on June 15th? I'm ready to get rid of the masks, just don't enjoy the judgement and stares from other people.

Everyone was wearing masks at every store I went to today (Walmart, Safeway and COSTCO). People have been saying Costco did away with requiring masks for MONTHS and since they were one of the first to put in a mandate I am just not buying it. Same for TJ's.

Surprisingly Costco did actually announce they will allow vaccinated persons without masks in stores should state/local rules allow for this. I was sure they would wait it out more. Updated as of yesterday, so not months ago though.

I'd give it time for some places, some locations may be real fast in removing signage others not.

https://www.costco.com/coronavirus.html
U.S. locations with no state or local mask requirements - revised policy
In Costco locations where the state or local jurisdiction does not have a mask mandate, we will allow members and guests who are fully vaccinated to enter Costco without a face mask or face shield. We will not require proof of vaccination, but we ask for members’ responsible and respectful cooperation with this revised policy. Face coverings will still be required in healthcare settings, including Pharmacy, Optical, Hearing Aid. Costco continues to recommend that all members and guests, especially those who are at higher risk, wear a mask or shield.

U.S. locations with state or local mask requirements - no policy change
In those Costco locations where the state or local jurisdiction does have a mask mandate, we will follow the state or local regulations and continue to require members and guests to wear a face mask or face shield. Children under the age of 2 are exempt. If a member or guest has a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask, they must wear a face shield.

 

[JimMIA]

I'm in Northern CA and just came back from Costco, everyone was still wearing masks I couldn't see if they still had the sign up on the door but I wasn't going to take mine off unless I saw the majority of people maskless. I would love to go shopping again without one, I'm fully vaccinated. I also shop at Trader Joe's and Sprouts and I'm assuming it will be the same at those stores because we are in CA, maybe they will be lifted on June 15th? I'm ready to get rid of the masks, just don't enjoy the judgement and stares from other people.

Just came back from Publix in Miami and had the same experience.

Publix, Costco, Walmart, Trader Joe's, Winn Dixie and a bunch of other stores have lifted their mask requirements -- but probably 75% of the people (including myself) were still wearing them.

 

[dvcgirl67]

That genie is so far out of the bottle, it's in the next universe. No way would they be able to stuff it back in.

I do worry that the anti-vax/anti-mask people will (wink, wink) "why, yes I was vaccinated" and we'll see rates go up. For those folks, that's their choice and let Darwin decide their fate, but it's not fair to those that truly can't be vaccinated - kids, folks with valid medical issues.

That's the thing....the unvaccinated are at risk of infecting each other. So if they lie about it, they're only hurting themselves for the most part. The study released by the CDC on the mRNA vaccines showed that the very small amount of breakthrough infections were almost all asymptomatic and there was no transmission. The viral load was so low that they can't sequence the virus. All of that is incredibly good news for the vaccinated. These are incredible vaccines.

I have only been to Lowe's in my part of NJ, and that was yesterday. Everyone was still wearing masks both inside and in the garden center. I'll keep following the rules of local businesses as long as they require. But I do think that we're going to start to see some pushback by people about having to wear masks, and likely no return pushback from businesses. To a certain degree, it feels like the ship has sailed.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

the unvaccinated are at risk of infecting each other. So if they lie about it, they're only hurting themselves for the most part.

I mentioned this in mid-April but all the people who were saying they would not get the vaccine and kept harping on the vulnerable can still do this and still do that and we need to protect the vulnerable weren't realizing they were quickly becoming the vulnerable. They are the vulnerable now, that time has come. They are a risk to everyone, just less so for fully vaccinated, but they do hurt vaccinated persons because they can still infect them. Vaccinated persons are the lowest risk at this point.

 

[DLgal]

But people have been going maskless/unvaccinated in several states for months now without huge outbreaks.

I will say, it is very confusing that the CDC is no longer concerned about children anymore. Some of these kids missed an entire year of in person learning in order to keep them safe, and all of a sudden we are going to use the Honor System to protect them? It's odd.

It was never about keeping the kids safe in school. It was about keeping the teachers safe.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I mentioned this in mid-April but all the people who were saying they would not get the vaccine and kept harping on the vulnerable can still do this and still do that and we need to protect the vulnerable weren't realizing they were quickly becoming the vulnerable. They are the vulnerable now, that time has come. They are a risk to everyone, just less so for fully vaccinated, but they do hurt vaccinated persons because they can still infect them. Vaccinated persons are the lowest risk at this point.

You're right...they do hurt everyone. And we all need to remember that there are lots of truly vulnerable people who are immunocompromised. The vaccines may not be as effective for them. I do hope that this news from the CDC will nudge some of the hesitant people out there to get the vaccine. There will be no convincing certain people, whatever percentage that ends up being. But as you correctly point out, *they* are the vulnerable ones now.

 

[DLgal]

You're right...they do hurt everyone. And we all need to remember that there are lots of truly vulnerable people who are immunocompromised. The vaccines may not be as effective for them. I do hope that this news from the CDC will nudge some of the hesitant people out there to get the vaccine. There will be no convincing certain people, whatever percentage that ends up being. But as you correctly point out, *they* are the vulnerable ones now.

Immunocompromised people need to continue wearing masks, and if I was one, it would be an N95 or comparable. Immunocompromised people have had to live with extra precautions forever, and this is no different. They need to continue to exercise vigilance. It stinks for those people, but they have to be the ones to take on the most responsibility at this point.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Immunocompromised people need to continue wearing masks, and if I was one, it would be an N95 or comparable. Immunocompromised people have had to live with extra precautions forever, and this is no different. They need to continue to exercise vigilance. It stinks for those people, but they have to be the ones to take on the most responsibility at this point.

Yes, I understand that. It's just that they really still need to be very careful, and I wonder for how long. But you're right, they'll have to do continue with masks. It'll be very interesting to see how far we end up getting with vaccinations here in the States. I also wonder if we'll see some pockets of infection this summer, especially in states with fewer vaccinated residents. I suppose we're in the transition phase of watching this coronavirus turn into something resembling a "common cold". I have no idea how long that process takes....either way, we'll be living with this virus from here on out. Thankfully, we can go forward protected.

 

[mamamary]

I’m in Maryland and our mask mandate ended today. I just went to 3 stores and all still required masks and everyone complied. I did ask in the first store and they said they haven’t been told anything either way. I’m guessing this all came about suddenly and stores weren’t prepared with what to do.