Post Pandemic/Mandate Masking

[WhiteTiger]

I'm curious about what folks thoughts are on wearing a mask post mandate/pandemic?

I know that for me personally, due to a personal issue, I will be so, so happy if I never have to wear a mask/face shield again.

But I'm seeing a lot of folks say they love wearing the masks whenever outside/around people, and are likely going to start wearing them a lot more. So I'm curious about what the folks here think of wearing a mask, when not required to.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

I'm curious about what folks thoughts are on wearing a mask post mandate/pandemic?

I know that for me personally, due to a personal issue, I will be so, so happy if I never have to wear a mask/face shield again.

But I'm seeing a lot of folks say they love wearing the masks whenever outside/around people, and are likely going to start wearing them a lot more. So I'm curious about what the folks here think of wearing a mask, when not required to.

I hate HATE wearing a mask, I mean I absolutely despise it, worst thing ever.

That I do it, and don't do it in situations where I am currently required to wear a mask.

As long as those situations exist and I am required I will, other no thank you.

[Amethyst]

Not a chance! Perhaps if I am sick and need to pick up something at the pharmacy, or go to the doctor. Otherwise, I want to be able to see faces and smile again. So much of human communication is non-verbal and wearing a mask takes away from that.

Also, no matter how many people here want to proclaim that it feels totally fine, I do not like the feel of wearing a mask all day.

[MoneyGuy]

It’s ironic because I had a hand in developing and approving our local mask mandate and I support masking but I hate having to wear one. I wanted a stricter mandate than we approved. I’ll ditch it as soon as I feel it’s safe to do so and may just wear a mask in certain situations. I feel bad for my grandchild who may have to deal with this for life. My wife and are getting vaccinated March 28 which is our first step out of this. I support masks but hate wearing them.

[Street Pharmacist]

I will probably only wear a mask if I'm really sick or something. I have to wear one all day at work. While I'm used to it, I despise it. I feel like I'm breathing in my own hot and wet breath. I keep getting little infections on the inside of the tip of my nose, and my ears often hurt. Plus I whine about it all day now

[GGG]

Public transit I will be a mask wearer for sure.

My biggest behaviour change will be work from home with even mild symptoms of colds provided it’s permitted. And also avoid going out with symptoms

In winter I will probably mask on colder days as I found it nice to be wearing something to keep my face warm between the car and the store so might as well keep wearing it in store. I don’t mind wearing a mask though, it hasn’t bothered me at all.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Even though I've had 2 doses of vaccine, I will still probably be wearing a mask when teaching for the rest of this academic year. I doubt I will be required to wear one in fall, and I don't think I'll bother by then, but it will entirely depend on whether there are significant numbers of active cases circulating.

Why you ask? Because my kids can't get a vaccine and I don't want to accidentally transmit it to them until they can get one. Even though the risk of serious disease is low, I would be devastated if something serious were to happen with one of them because I was a little careless.

That being said, if there are very low or no cases in the area, I see no point in even wearing masks at all. Here's hoping that enough people get vaccinated to create herd immunity sometime this summer.

I could still see it being a thing on airplanes and public spaces where there are lots of people indoors (like a sporting event). I wouldn't really bat an eye in those situations.

[Calgary14]

Not necessarily a mask but I hope when this is done and people working in an office are sick they have the option to either call in sick or work from home. Way too many people in the past just went in to work because they had to, causing many others around them to get sick. Companies need to give the option of working from home to people who are slightly sick but still able to function at 50-60%. Obviously I'm only referring to people who are actually able to do their jobs from home

[RichieRich]

Time and a place for everything... like others have said/alluded to:
- public transit and/or certain travel

- if I suspect I'm getting sick
- if I suspect I'm susceptible to something for whatever reason
- if I seriously cannot stand my environment (BO, perfume, aftershave, deodorant, industrial smells, other environmental smells or pollens/stuff, etc)
- keep my face warmer in the winter winds
- I expect others may agree with some of these, and hopefully act upon them too, but I'm not gonna go full-Karen on anyone at all.
- I look at the Japanese and some other Asian countries that accepted mask wearing before Covid. It was a personal choice plus also a community-safety-driven moral/ethical implied responsibility.



I do like that since Covid nobody in my family has had a cold or flu or other bug. Other than masks and ensuring we wash hands immediately upon coming home, we really haven't done much else. There is clearly something to this.



All of this applies, Covid or not.

[metallicat]

Wearing a mask when you have a bit of a cold or anything that could be passed on to others should absolultely be normalized going forward. One big benefit of the mask use is I haven't had a cold in about a year. That never happens. If I can avoid a seasonal cold or influenza then I'll be happy.

[Joborule]

I would think that around here a more Asian philosophy will be taken when wearing masks, and people will wear them when they are sick, or being cautious in an environment that could have bad air (transit, smoke from forest fires, flu season, etc.), and no one will have a uncomfortable response when they see one wearing it.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Joborule

I would think that around here a more Asian philosophy will be taken when wearing masks, and people will wear them when they are sick, or being cautious in an environment that could have bad air (transit, smoke from forest fires, flu season, etc.), and no one will have a uncomfortable response when they see one wearing it.

Doubtful. So many people are selfish, they just don't care. As if they would put on a mask to protect others. Not likely.

[Matata]

With variations in covid sprouting up all over the world and Pfizer making plans to make covid vaccines an annual thing like the flu shot, I dont think there is ever going to be a clear cut moment where we all decide it's now post pandemic. I suspect there's going to a very conflicted moment where a lot of people decide that once vulnerable populations are vaccinated, things are back to normal and a lot of people that will only think it's over when the majority of people are vaccinated.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

It’s ironic because I had a hand in developing and approving our local mask mandate and I support masking but I hate having to wear one. I wanted a stricter mandate than we approved. I’ll ditch it as soon as I feel it’s safe to do so and may just wear a mask in certain situations. I feel bad for my grandchild who may have to deal with this for life. My wife and are getting vaccinated March 28 which is our first step out of this. I support masks but hate wearing them.

Disliking wearing them but understanding their usefulness and drafting policy around that understanding isn't ironic.

[Otto-matic]

I'd wear it shopping during the winter once this is over. I havent had a single cold or any type of sickness due to wearing them with increased hand hygiene in the last year.

[OldDutch]

Man I remember being on a plane and having a sick as a dog person next to me hacking. If I so dared look at them I got the whats your problem eyes.

I hope they keep it on mass transit as mandatory. I got enough colds and such from my business trips.

Now I haven’t had one since July last year!

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Joborule

I would think that around here a more Asian philosophy will be taken when wearing masks, and people will wear them when they are sick, or being cautious in an environment that could have bad air (transit, smoke from forest fires, flu season, etc.), and no one will have a uncomfortable response when they see one wearing it.

Aren’t they ineffective against things like car pollution and smoke from wildfires?

[RichieRich]

There are masks for different purposes. All are most definitely not created equal. Just like peoples ability to even wear the most basic mask equally is not consistent.

I do anticipate a lot more mask wearing in the future, and without all the weird stares that go with it. It'll be somewhat normalized and maybe even the start of a polite conversation... instead of a verbal barrage.

[Ozy_Flame]

I know things will probably return to before with the mask wearing (as in, not at all), but I hope if people choose to continue wearing masks they won't be vilified for it.

In Asia it's considered a courtesy to others if you yourself have a sniffle or feel sick. I hope we can apply that here in North America, but as Fuzz said - people are only in business for themselves and probably just don't see the same value in community health.

[peter12]

Before this, I was that guy who absolutely insisted on staying home if I was sick and would be more than irritated if my colleagues wouldn't do the same. I don't see that really changing.

I will almost certainly wear a mask post-pandemic in public sick and had to leave the house.
We will see how long this lasts though as people have pointed out, we don't really have cultural norms in place for widespread mask use, but in Vancouver, it is a bit more common.