Is It Time to Start Masking Again? Well, that depends.

[sl8]

Is It Time to Start Masking Again?

Well, that depends.

By Yasmin Tayag
APRIL 8, 2022, 11:27 AM

Well, here we are again. After our fleeting brush with normalcy during Omicron’s retreat, another very transmissible new version of the coronavirus is on the rise—and with it, a fresh wave of vacillation between mask-donning and mask-doffing.

The Omicron offshoot BA.2 is now the dominant variant around the world and in the United States. Case counts are rising in a number of states. It’s too early to tell whether BA.2 will cause a major spike in cases here like it recently did in Europe, but that possibility is worth preparing for by having good masks on hand—and being mentally ready to put them on again.

If the thought of re-masking feels exasperating to you, you’re not alone. As Katherine J. Wu has pointed out in The Atlantic, many people just don’t care that much about COVID-19 anymore, let alone BA.2. Most Americans are no longer required to wear masks in indoor public spaces (though in some places, masks are still mandatory in crowded settings such as hospitals and prisons). People who are vaccinated and boosted are hugely protected from severe illness. Making the most of this recent reprieve, I did something I’d dreamed of since the beginning of the pandemic: screamed my lungs out in a tiny karaoke booth with unmasked friends and didn’t think twice about it. It was awesome.

But as much as I want to hold tight to that freedom, I also really don’t want to get sick again. As I’ve learned firsthand, having COVID can be miserable, even for the healthy and vaccinated, and long COVID is still a frightening possibility, as is inadvertently infecting my aging parents. Masking remains an effective and easy way to avoid getting sick whenever your risk of getting COVID increases, whether that’s because of a menacing new variant, an uptick in cases in your town, or thousands of unmasked strangers sharing a concert venue with you. So how do you know when it’s time to start again?

[...]

[PJMcK]

1. I never stopped (n/t)

[MuseRider]

4. Same.

[ariadne0614]

5. +1 so far, but life is getting complicated.

At the end of this month, my youngest sister is moving to another state. She’s hosting a farewell “ladies’ lunch” at a local restaurant next week, and it’s my last chance to see her for who knows how long?

Sad to say, but I’m hesitant to go. Even though I got my second Moderna booster on 01Apr, my immuno-compromised housemate is overdue for his second booster. If I do go, I will self-isolate as much as I can for five days after the luncheon, until I can take an at-home self test. That’s life in these modern times.

[Rebl2]

7. Me either

I blame spring breaks and now Easter is coming up with family gatherings-expect more outbreaks.

[Blues Heron]

2. lets wait for the spike and then start masking - yeah that makes sense...

We need to get out in front of this next wave. Case rates have doubled in Conn. and NY.

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. Again? We never stopped and don't plan on it anytime soon even though

we are in a very small minority.

[empedocles]

6. Masks at the ready here. We got 4th Moderna yesterday

[relayerbob]

8. Never stopped

I don't see masking as related to "freedom" in any way. It's a piece of cloth or paper, who cares?

[Earth-shine]

9. We were told to wear masks to protect others. Now, it's wear an N95 to protect yourself.

[Midnight Writer]

10. I advance masked.

Not only have I not caught Covid, I have not caught a cold or flu or any other contagion since I started masking.

My worst nightmare is ending up helpless in hospital, fighting for breath, with a hole in my throat and tubes down my gullet, and thinking to myself "Hmm. Maybe I should have masked up before I went into the grocery the other day".