Why are people confused about masks?

BUT MUH FREEDUMBS!!!!

Because of the mention of crowded places, variants and many haven't yet had the jab or 2 weeks haven't passed since the second.

I think the messages are mixed. CDC says go for it. Everything you read says we’re not going to reach herd immunity. I’m fully vaccinated but still wear a mask at times. Usually around older people or when businesses have requirements posted. It’s winding down for me, but it’s a process.

What r3 said.

We're in a very murky area. I think it's better to err on the side of caution. Plus, most businesses I frequent require a mask, vaccinated or not, as does public transit.

I've been double-masking since January and only just stopped that this week.

I'm getting my second shot on Friday.

R4 - it's what I said too. I am a bit confused about their message...India variant = unknown if the vax helps, no herd immunity, you can still spread it and unvaccinated people (kids for example) may get it and possibly die (less likely in kids but it has happened and some can't take the vaccine for various reasons). So, where is the clear message? It's ok outside but not indoors. However, some outside places are also crowded so....

Just a reminder, here are a few other announcements CDC had made

Last February CDC told people no testing needed even if you were sick but you had not been to foreign countries and you had no contact with people recently back from Asia, so your fever and cough are not covid related, no testing for you!

Wearing face masks doesn't protect you and it created the panic among public. Face masks are for health workers only and people who are sick

Young people were at low risk of catching Covid.

....

Fuck CDC, that's all I have to say, they are run by morons and idiots.

It's not murky, even one iota.

CDC made a recommendation. You can choose to follow it or not.

But mask mandates are determined by the state and the stores you might want to go into.

It's pretty cut and dry.

The only think that's mildly murky is determining for yourself what you want to do when the state and store says it's okay to go maskless

I’m wearing my mask still. I will continue to wear it in the winter months for the rest of my life in crowded areas. Felt good to not be sick during the winter.

Honestly, I think they are more concerned with the economy and returning to some semblance of normal. Of course, the vaccine has helped quell fears a bit, but, of course, there are no guarantees and the virus is as strong as ever in some parts of the world (e.g., India). As noted upthread, it is best to err on the side of caution.

This virus and the prevention of its spread has been handled like shit since the beginning. And it isn’t any less dangerous or fatal.

Trust the science about gender, don’t trust the science about masks! Don’t even get me started on election fraud! 🤡

Also fully vaccinated doesn't mean you are protected for life, vaccines will last for 6~12 months and also there are other variants etc that current vaccines might not work. Will CDC issue another order on July, if you were full vaccinated in January, you will need to wear the masks again because your vaccines are wearing thin?

The right, seeing how successful Biden has been with controlling COVID, is suddenly braying out "It's so confusing!! I can't handle it!!"

For months they have been demanding that mask mandates be rescinded. The second the CDC it's okay to stop wearing them if you're vaccinated, the right starts up with its typical hate campaign: "It's all political! I'm confused!" and blah blah blah

[quote] I think they are more concerned with the economy and returning to some semblance of normal.

They are also hoping that the rescinding of mask mandates will be the impetus for others to get vaccinated quickly. Sure there's lots of uncertainty about the variants, but all studies show that the vaccines are still very effective, but may not fully effective.

Still, we can't sit around at home waiting until we have all the answers and all the world has been vaccinated. That would take years.

[quote]They are also hoping that the rescinding of mask mandates will be the impetus for others to get vaccinated quickly.

Which shows that they don't understand the deplorable mindset AT ALL.

[quote] They are also hoping that the rescinding of mask mandates will be the impetus for others to get vaccinated quickly.

My partner just got an email from his gym, Equinox, saying that, if you've been vaccinated, masks are no longer required. I asked if they would be requiring proof of vaccination and he said no, it's on the 'honor system'. So where's the incentive to get vaccinated (other than, you know, it can save your life)? They still do temperature checks, which, IMO, is useless as it does not detect asymptomatic infection.

I was walking around NYC yesterday running errands, and I'd estimate that 70-80% of people are still masked, even on the streets and in the parks, which surprised me. Every store here still requires masks, as does the subway. The library and museums are still requiring masks and temperature checks.

Radio City Music Hall says they'll be maskless and require proof of vaccination when it reopens next month, but has yet to provide any details on just how you're supposed to provide proof.

So yeah, it can be confusing.

Why did over 74 million people vote for Trump? same reason

Around me, at least, the vaccinated (who don't need to mask up) are still largely wearing masks, the unvaccinated (who should be wearing masks) are not.

Which means there are still plenty of hosts for the virus to infect – and quite easily, since the unvaxxed are now circulating unmasked in public spaces.

Not listening to CDC. I'm fully vaccinated, but am still wearing a mask everywhere. I also still wear nitrile gloves when I go to the market or pharmacy. No one can predict what the variants will do or how all the reopening will affect the numbers. Also, we really have no idea how long immunity via the vaccine lasts. Six months? Eight months? Does it wane during that time? The first people to be vaccinated are approaching their six-month vaccination anniversary. Has their immunity waned to disappeared completely? So many what-ifs involved.

R13 In a way, I agree with you. I think the best way to move forward is for people to hold themselves responsible and continue to take the precautionary measures they sit fit for themselves. Of course, insane Republicans hellbent on harassing those who [italic]choose[/italic] to continue wearing masks should be subject to legal ramifications.

R6 b-b-but science! The CDS keeps changing its tune, so sort of difficult to pay heed.

Also, as many of you keep pointing out, each state's governor, ultimately, sets the mandate. And, that IS PRECISELY why there is confusion. CDC says one thing, your state says another.

Even more confusing if you actually commute over state lines on a regular basis for your job e.g. NJ/NY/CT. "I didn't have to wear a mask inside the restaurant for lunch (NY); but now I have to wear a mask inside the restaurant at dinner (NJ)??? That's fucked up." etc. etc.

BTW, R6 I was agreeing with you.

It's confusing for low IQ people. That's all.

[quote] I also still wear nitrile gloves when I go to the market or pharmacy.

Since the virus cannot be transmitted though skin, and is highly unlikely to be transmitted through surfaces, why bother with the gloves? If you wear gloves to pick up a can of peas that's somehow been contaminated and then use the same gloved hand to pick up a carton of milk, haven't you cross-contaminated the milk carton the same way you would've if you weren't wearing gloves?

I've become somewhat fanatical about washing my hands as soon as I come home, Then I put away the groceries (unwashed) and then wash my hands one more time, but after that, I'm done.

At some point the government has to stop acting nannyish and let people make their own decisions. Most people will follow the guidance and do the appropriate thing.

At this point, case numbers are low enough that community spread is going to be minimal. People who are unvaccinated and not wearing masks will be the ones most at risk, and that’s by their own choice.

It's not so much about cross-contaminating the food, rather getting virus on my hands. It can be transmitted via touch, which is why we should all be washing our hands. When I come out of the market, I remove them carefully and toss them in the trash.

The Covid mask is the liberal MAGA hat. And *way* worse for the environment, ironically.

There has never been evidence that this virus is easily transmitted outdoors. I got slammed for saying this a few months ago, that when exercising outdoors you don’t have to wear a mask as long as you social distance. CDC has never recommended masking when exercising outdoors. The last lockdowns during latter months of winter, which banned outdoor dining and outdoor activities, inadvertently drove more people indoors which led to increased cases afterwards.

Information could seem confusing, coming from CDC, which itself isn’t above reproach. That said, science is not static but evolving. We should educate the public on why these recommendations which are based upon scientific evidence appear to be constantly shifting and sometimes contradicting previous ones. COVID-19 being a novel virus also means that sometimes these recommendations can’t catch up to quickly evolving research.

We do a bad job teaching science in this country. Most people cannot grasp the basic l, evidence-based foundations of science. Evidence may change due to new findings or increased knowledge. Yet many people automatically interpret this as scientists or agencies lying to them. Then we have people who only go by what one person says, in this case Dr. Fauci. Again, we should consider advice not from one person but scientific consensus. Similarly, it’s why to be published in reputable scientific journals you must subject your research to peer-reviews. Not one person but a group of experts who have knowledge in the same field. East Asian countries like Taiwan, their population understands this concept a lot better than we do here. Consequently, they don’t distrust or ignore recommendations from their CDC by making their own rules.

Now with current CDC recommended guidelines, some people still insist on wearing masks. These are some of the same people who berated others for not adhering to CDC masking recommendations and for being anti-science . Now all of a sudden it is not anti-science to go against CDC advisory by continuing to wear masks outside. Well which is it, if you trust the mask advice the first time why are you now not trusting the unmasking guidelines?

I don't have a problem with people who still want to wear masks, but they should not be judging other people who are vaccinated and following the CDC guidance that masks are no longer needed.

R28 I wholeheartedly agree, if people want to wear masks outside then they should do it. However, I shouldn’t be judged to be anti-science (which I am decidedly not) when I choose to adhere to current guidelines by not wearing masks outside. We also shouldn’t be lectured by those who insist on masking. I’ve gotten told off by people who accuse me of both, that’s why it’s frustrating.

People get confused about all kinds of things. Masks, apostrophe usage.

Why do people make such a big fuss about wearing masks? It's a minor inconvenience, and protects you and especially those around you.

CNN: A superspreader event at a Hong Kong fitness center highlights the risk of Covid-19 transmission in confined spaces with poor ventilation, according to a study published by the CDC Tuesday.

Researchers with the University of Hong Kong studied how a trainer infected with Covid-19 was connected to 101 subsequent cases among gym visitors and 53 close contacts.

Visitors to the fitness center were not required to wear masks at the time of the outbreak and the gym had poor ventilation, which researchers said may have played a major role in the outbreak.

[quote] It can be transmitted via touch, which is why we should all be washing our hands.

The chances of getting COVID through surfaces has been estimated at 1 in 10,000. You're far more likely to get killed in a car crash coming home from the market. According to the National Safety Council, your chance of dying in a motor vehicle accident is 1 in 107, yet we all get in a car without a second thought.

I'm not slamming you for doing whatever you feel is necessary to feel safe, but it would seem unrealistic to worry about contracting the virus that way.

R22

[quote]It's confusing for low IQ people. That's all.

And to prove how low my IQ is, I actually bothered to quote you in this response.

The best possible protection against Covid is to have adequate antibodies for Coronavirus circulating in your blood. You get that through vaccination.

Some assholes will be "confused" about this stuff no matter what. They crave that discord. Especially internet trolls. Our area FB page (It's for news, events & random stuff) has been a cesspool of misinformation since the pandemic began. There was a post recently about some aspect of the pandemic & vaccination rollouts. Some asshole troll of course comes on & comments with the usual crap ("This seems like an overreach by our local government...... this is unclear.....blah blah..."). A lady replies to his comment with some clear, short answers. He comes back with more "doubt" and says "but how do you *know* that for *sure*?" and complains that the county officials are overreaching and don't know what the fuck they're doing. She replies with "Hi! I'm the director of the county health department, and...." There is just so much fake "confusion". I understand that a couple things have been unclear this past year, but there is a lot of trolling as well.

The CDC says one thing, the states say another, local governments yet something else, and private businesses have their own varying policies.

I'm starting to see Deplorables go without masks in public now.

The white trash Denny's waiter under new Deplorable, white trash management announced to a customer they don't have to wear masks anymore because, CDC.

Like the pandemic is over and everyone's been vaccinated.

Costco, same thing. the one maskless couple I saw were DEPLORABLE, FAT WHITE TRASH who probably never believed in COVID-19 and have been bitching that they have to stay safe for the last year.

I'm not taking my mask off in public until the infections and death toll comes down to 50,000 deaths per year.

SORRY, NOT SORRY. I'm going to trigger as many Deplorables with masks as I can, it's fun to remind them what stupid pigs they are.

"And to prove how low my IQ is, I actually bothered to quote you in this response. "

I'm guessing around 75! But I tend to be kind.

R39 you can count that high? Wow.