Question of the Day: Sunday, March 12

[gilmargl]

Good Morning!
On this cold, wet, blustery morning I have just watched a man striding across the field with his dog. Both of them look as though they can't wait to get home. But, spring will come, eventually. I'm tired of this humid climate, when cooking and other smells in the house linger on for days and clumping cat litter refuses to clump!

I have started washing and putting away winter scarves and loops which I hopefully will not be needing till the fall. All possible contamination with Covid, flu, coughs and colds will be reduced if not completely eliminated. And this brings me to my question. Since I have to wear a fresh, unused mask every day when I visit a patient in quarantine in a carehome and have to leave the mask on the premises, I need a large supply. Here a mask is still necessary when entering a hospital or doctor's surgery. But there are also people wearing masks while shopping.

Do you still wear a mask? If so, why, when and where?

 

[muffy]

Nope. I wore them when it was required and I had all the vaccines. I'm done with them.

 

[Winchester]

Yes. Rick and I are both fully vaxxed, but we continue to wear them. It's not a big deal, so when we go to Target or to the store, we mask up. Sometimes we feel that we're the only ones who do. But Covid has not gone away.

I was in Target on Friday and there was a guy who was very obviously sick. He was snotting and coughing and yet, there he was, in the middle of the store. And that's why we continue to mask.

 

[Jem]

I will only wear a mask if in the company of someone who prefers I wear one around them at work. I work in close contact in a small room, one on one with my clients....I only have two that ask I still wear one. I had a third who I wore one for while she was going thru chemo and radiation, but that's all done now....YAY for her!!!
I take the cue from them when they arrive...If they have one on, I will offer to wear one as well. I have another client who wears one for their own peace of mind but have repeatedly told me I don't need to wear one for her. Okie Dokie...not totally how mask wearing works but oh well...some just feel more comfortable having it on.
I know my clients trust me to do the right thing for their health and thankfully the majority of my clients respect me enough to cancel their appointment with me if they are sick. I did explain to them thru all this that it is a hard NO to come for a treatment with anything, be it a cold, flu, covid...I don't care...I will turn them away if they show up sick. I said this nicely of course...and they all understood and have respected my health prevention protocols. I few have called me in advance to see if I would see them because "it's just a cold, I tested negative"...but I have responded that no, if you're sick, stay home. The "if your sick, stay home" rule is what I'm trying to basically train people to do...I'm not interested in having to wear a mask long term...they're hard to work in when you have a labor intensive/physical job.

 

[misty8723]

Yes, I still wear a mask. My 93 year old father had to go the ER recently. My sister took him, she is 64 and in a high risk group. Both are vaccinated. Both always wear masks. Both are very careful. Both got covid. They got covid because people are NOT wearing masks and the ER did not require them to. Not wearing a mask is, in my opinion, selfish because it's not just to keep you safe. I'm also in a high risk group. I wear one because I dont want covid and I don't want to give it to anyone else should I have it with no symptoms.

 

[denice]

Normally no. I have a KN-95 mask in my purse which I will put on if I have direct contact with someone who is wearing one. It has become a hot button issue here and I do it more so the other person is comfortable and knows that I am okay either way, with or without a mask.

 

[neely]

First, both DH and I have had all our vaccines/boosters. Second, we are respectful of others when out in public but do not wear a mask anymore unless in a hospital, doctor's office or a small confined area like an airplane. If I go to someone's home I always take my lead from them because I want them to be comfortable. I do keep a mask in my purse at all times but physical/social distancing and hand washing is my mantra. I see people who wear masks improperly, i.e. loose fitting, under their nose, etc. They hang them on the rear view mirror in their car and wear the same mask over and over again. The latest research has shown that paper and cloth masks are not nearly as effective as N95 or KN95 masks. Basically I think we have to be aware of the different viruses and unfortunately there will inevitably be others after Covid-19 but every individual is different in their beliefs about masks.

 

[maggiedemi]

No. I never wear one since I got the 2 vaccine shots. There are signs up at my therapist and doctor offices saying that you have to wear one. But they must be old signs because none of the staff or patients are wearing masks. And they didn't say anything to me about not having one on. I didn't even have one with me. So they don't enforce it anymore. The only person I ever see wearing a mask is my mom!

I think I had Covid. Glad I was vaccinated because it was just like a really bad cold. In fact it's hanging on, I can't get rid of the runny nose completely. Did anybody else have the runny nose? It could just be the extreme cold. It's so cold in NY right now!

 

[strider rose]

i wear them to my doctor appts cause they are still required there

 

[artiemom]

Yes, I still wear a mask in public. I have asthma, and very recently recovered from a severe pneumonia / bad Covid..

In my building, I am usually with a mask. I do not trust people. Many seniors will walk around with a respiratory virus, the flu, or even Covid, without wearing a mask. I do not want to get sick again.

I am one of the few who is masked in this building.. I always wear a mask in stores, church, anywhere there is a crowd.
And I also wipe down the shopping carts with the Purell wipes, which are provided. I keep hand sanitizer in my car; using it as soon as I get in.

Masks do not bother me. I was a medical professional, so during certain sterile procedures, I had to mask and gown up.

 

[susanm9006]

I do have a supply of new KN95 masks. Hospitals and clinics here still require them and they are getting quite inexpensive to buy, so when I find them on sale I pick up a package or two. You never know when another COVID will break out.

I do not wear a mask however for shopping and most activities.

 

[NY cat man]

Only if required by the place where I am going, like a doctor's office or hospital.

 

[Kat0121]

No I don't.

 

[Margot Lane]

if there’s a crowd.

 

[fionasmom]

I am vaxxed and boostered and have had Covid twice...diagnosed by my doctor and took Paxlovid the second time. I wear a mask in stores and other public places, but not out of doors. All medical offices I go to are requiring them, taking temperatures, etc.

My part of town is still fairly heavy with mask wearing inside any public building. Some people are still wearing them out of doors as well.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Only at my doctors office because it’s attached to the hospital system. I also wore one when I was just getting over a couple viruses and had that lingering cough. I think thats the only place still required.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

Really only where they are required. I was an adamant user of masks, but I just kind of stopped using them. I've never had Covid though, so I account that to pure luck.

 

[Arya Underfoot]

I still have to wear them to doctors appointments, which are a regular thing for me. When we go to New Zealand in a couple of weeks I'll at least be wearing a mask in the airport or any crowded places, the last thing I want is Covid ruining my holiday. We both had it back in November, so are unable to get a booster shot before we go (you have to wait six months). I've had Covid twice, once, before the vaccines were available and again after 3 vaccines and there really wasn't much difference in symptoms or severity, maybe the vaccines/boosters don't last more than 6 months. I found a lot of cool (mostly cat-related) masks on Red Bubble.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Only if required to. There are fewer and fewer places requiring them where I live. My vet clinic only requires them in the consulting rooms, not the waiting room. My GP clinic requires them everywhere, as do hospitals. Shops, hair salons, public transport don’t, though in the unlikely event I use public transport again I’d wear one. Taxis don’t require them for drivers or passengers. Mum’s physios aren’t required to wear them on home visits since last week. Her shower attendants still do.

 

[lizzie]

No,I don't.We aren't required any longer to wear them,and I will if that happens again.We are both vaxxed and boostered,and I know that's not a guarantee with all the different variants.I so rarely go anyplace anymore,and with copd,those masks make it more hard to breathe.