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

[OhBother1984]

I think the intent of the post was they are strict in comparison to similar restaurants. Gas stations here never required masks, for instance. Most of these now have food counters.

Yes this, you said it well. Panda is the only place that has screamed from the back of the store if someone opens a door with no mask, and ours doesn't have a stack for people to grab from. Most places even if a sign just say nothing.

 

[OhBother1984]

I do so appreciate this statement:

“People who are going to go maskless now were going to go maskless anyway post when these mandates lifted and still choose not to get vaccinated,” said Gottlieb

Because yup he's right on that one, hence why people had concerns about blanket rules. Interesting if in 2 weeks time suddenly the whole U.S. just up and stops caring. Maybe it will happen but it's def. been the case in the past, Gottlieb included, that timelines have always been risky to mention.

Yup!

Here is targets updated policy as a good example of how things are going to go now. If you read it they don't REQUIRE mask for anyone now, only strongly recommended. So they have covered themselves legally if by chance someone claims to have caught covid in their store and have a serious case and were not vaccinated (whether by choice, age or medically can't).

The health and safety of our guests and team members have been Target’s top priority throughout the pandemic, and we’ve closely and consistently followed the CDC’s recommendations over time. Given the CDC’s updated guidance, Target no longer requires fully vaccinated guests and team members to wear face coverings in our stores, except where it’s required by local ordinances. Face coverings continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated and we continue our increased safety and cleaning measures, including social distancing, throughout our stores.

 

[leahgoogle]

That's sorta the interesting thing. I like never think about "will they say something to me or not" about not a mask if an establishment lists masks are required, I just wear the mask it's literally never a thought in my mind. It's interesting to hear both here on the DIS and elsewhere just how many people think about will a place of business call out someone as if that's the forefront of their minds and by calling out someone they often are speaking about themselves.

Also the interesting thing is the mention of the state mandate. Certainty some places only required based on a mandate either by the governor or local powers but others did it because it's a store/company policy (and if a mandate was later placed that just further backed it up). My state didn't even have a mandate until July 1st. I assure you places required masks prior to then and required them after the mandate at the state level lapsed March 31st (my county's was extended to April 30th). Costco, Menards, and a slew of other places all required them before my state did.

I always wear my mask if a store requires it so the question of if they would confront me isn’t in my mind when I’m at a store. I was responding to a previous poster about how they were approached. There have definitely been some stores that have dropped the mask requirement when the state dropped the requirement and some stores that have kept them.

 

[wenrob]

I do so appreciate this statement:

“People who are going to go maskless now were going to go maskless anyway post when these mandates lifted and still choose not to get vaccinated,” said Gottlieb

Because yup he's right on that one, hence why people had concerns about blanket rules. Interesting if in 2 weeks time suddenly the whole U.S. just up and stops caring. Maybe it will happen but it's def. been the case in the past, Gottlieb included, that timelines have always been risky to mention.

What do you mean by “stops caring?” About masks? The virus? He says the infection rate will be so low it won’t matter. I didn’t take it people wouldn’t care anymore just that they’d feel comfortable about it. It’s going to be interesting to see. The numbers are plunging. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop but they continue to fall and it’s only going to improve if the amount of teens everyone has seen getting vaccinated keeps up.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I always wear my mask if a store requires it so the question of if they would confront me isn’t in my mind when I’m at a store. I was responding to a previous poster about how they were approached. There have definitely been some stores that have dropped the mask requirement when the state dropped the requirement and some stores that have kept them.

Understood, I'm just saying it's never a thought to me but a pattern I've seen of people mentioning it as if they are on the lookout. There are def. people who when they discuss mask policies from places interject whether they enforce it, confront someone, etc in such a way that they

My mom's retail place (mostly shoes but has a bit of apparel) right now is maintaining mask requirements and she's fine with it. She just wishes people wouldn't push it. She had a guy walk in 2 weeks ago with a drink in his hand and no mask. When she asked him "sir do you have a mask" he replied "nope I'm drinking". Funny there's a sign on the door that read "No food or drink" and "masks required". But this guy is the type of guy who some of us have concerns over. The one that takes the guidance of "you can have your mask removed if you're actively eating or drinking" and smugly applies it to everything. Luckily he left quickly enough. But he probably walked in there thinking "they won't confront me". It's just unfortunate that people think like that.

 

[DLgal]

Good for Panda Express employees for actually enforcing their rules. Whether or not I agree with an establishment's rules, I always respect the heck out of a corporation that consistently gets its employees to enforce the rules it has in place across locations. That speaks pretty highly to the quality of the management overall.

 

[mjkacmom]

What % have antibodies from having the virus? People are much better now about staying home if they feel bad, and keeping a distance. I have zero worries about it, but I understand if others don't.

That’s been an issue with covid from the get go, it can take a week before someone infected starts getting symptoms.

 

[DLgal]

That’s been an issue with covid from the get go, it can take a week before someone infected starts getting symptoms.

I read a cool article about how covid being mostly asymptomatic is a really smart trick that virus performs. By hijacking and shutting down the immune system's normal signaling response to illness (symptoms, essentially), it is better able to spread. It's a smart virus.

 

[RangerPooh]

I think there's a lot of people who will take advantage of a lifted mask mandate. The news encourages those who have not been vaccinated to continue to wear a mask, but we know that many will not. They may cite that it's their choice or their freedom, but to me, it's frustrating. If the country is only at 30+% of those over age 16 vaccinated then we still need to do our part to protect others. To decide to not be vaccinated and not wear a mask is selfish IMO. This said, I don't think a return to masks will happen unless the brown stuff hits the fan.

Our children attend two school districts (we share a hs with the next town over), and the district where our high school is has already dropped mask mandates for the final week of school. Our primary district (elem and middle) is still requiring masks for the last week of school. Our oldest still wore her mask to school today to take her finals. I still wore mine to Kroger this morning as well. At this point our family is waiting for those under age 12 to get vaccinated. Both our teen daughter are now vaccinated. When 14yo were able to get it last week we went on Thursday and were not alone with young teens.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What do you mean by “stops caring?” About masks? The virus? He says the infection rate will be so low it won’t matter. I didn’t take it people wouldn’t care anymore just that they’d feel comfortable about it. It’s going to be interesting to see. The numbers are plunging. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop but they continue to fall and it’s only going to improve if the amount of teens everyone has seen getting vaccinated keeps up.

I was a tad exaggerating there admittedly but Gottlieb did say with the prevalence rate being low (his prediction that is) "we’re just not going to be concerned about it". Maybe not being concerned with it doesn't rise to the level of not caring but I don't think it's that far fetched though, given what we've seen, that people turn to the most likely scenario of "out of sight out of mind" we're all humans and eventually regardless of the risk being there or not we don't let our minds even think about it at some point and for myself that includes things like hand sanitizer and other such things that I have found myself not thinking about as much.

It's not hard for me to imagine that given the rapid recent several updates for guidance combined with if the prevalence rate becomes so low (if/when it gets there) people will more collectively have the "out of sight out of mind" thinking quickly. It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to free up our minds for other things (I mean fully vaccinated persons are at quite a low risk) but it would be if that means we do what we often do and employ short memories. Much of the virus situation is led by our behaviors.

 

[Chuck S]

I don't think they will role them back, but I think there will be a clarification that they meant no masking to only apply to people that are fully vaccinated. I don't think they fully thought out the part of not being able to verify who is or who is not vaccinated... or businesses not having enough personnel to check those paper cards that are so easily forged anyway, and that they should have had a better verification system in place, IMO.

 

[BrianL]

I really don't think they will roll it back unless things get really bad again. They would have to justify it for sure. Hopefully, that's not going to happen anyway and I do hope that this will encourage more people to get vaccinated!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I do hope that this will encourage more people to get vaccinated!

I was always skeptical about this. A lot of people claimed people needed this motivation, especially the masks. That may be true of some people but it was usually discussed a rash of people would just do it. That isn't what is happening. What's happening, which is why I made sure to quote the part I did with the article another poster linked, is that people who didn't want to get vaccinated or were on the fence, still aren't but now they get to do mostly what they wanted..without having to get vaccinated. The motivation is actually lower for those people not higher. I kinda expected that to be the outcome. I haven't really heard from people much that the adjustment in mask wearing guidance for fully vaccinated has made the people they knew in real life to go get the vaccine. It really just placed businesses and states in this weird position of pressure to remove/reduce requirements without holding the unvaccinated accountable.

I think the most motivators are going to come from the local efforts but I don't know how successful they will be. I do agree with the larger point many have been making, hard to come back from these types of guidelines and I think we kinda expected that (especially with the masks). Compliance to get people to go back to that was always going to be an issue once you let it go.

 

[spiders]

It’s over. Unless you’re dealing with environments where they can verify you’re vaccinated then all of policies with exceptions are useless. The anti-mask/anti-vaxx crowd is just going to lie and say they’re vaccinated. Walmart’s new policy is an absolute waste of time.

Require them or don’t require them. End of story.

 

[BrianL]

I was always skeptical about this. A lot of people claimed people needed this motivation, especially the masks. That may be true of some people but it was usually discussed a rash of people would just do it. That isn't what is happening. What's happening, which is why I made sure to quote the part I did with the article another poster linked, is that people who didn't want to get vaccinated or were on the fence, still aren't but now they get to do mostly what they wanted..without having to get vaccinated. The motivation is actually lower for those people not higher. I kinda expected that to be the outcome. I haven't really heard from people much that the adjustment in mask wearing guidance for fully vaccinated has made the people they knew in real life to go get the vaccine. It really just placed businesses and states in this weird position of pressure to remove/reduce requirements without holding the unvaccinated accountable.

I think the most motivators are going to come from the local efforts but I don't know how successful they will be. I do agree with the larger point many have been making, hard to come back from these types of guidelines and I think we kinda expected that (especially with the masks). Compliance to get people to go back to that was always going to be an issue once you let it go.

Well, I did say, "I hope." I know a lot of people will skirt the guidelines - those people have been doing it anyway. Still, people are still seeking out shots - at least some of them may have been motivated by this. Every single one given is better for everyone.

 

[wenrob]

I was always skeptical about this. A lot of people claimed people needed this motivation, especially the masks. That may be true of some people but it was usually discussed a rash of people would just do it. That isn't what is happening. What's happening, which is why I made sure to quote the part I did with the article another poster linked, is that people who didn't want to get vaccinated or were on the fence, still aren't but now they get to do mostly what they wanted..without having to get vaccinated. The motivation is actually lower for those people not higher. I kinda expected that to be the outcome. I haven't really heard from people much that the adjustment in mask wearing guidance for fully vaccinated has made the people they knew in real life to go get the vaccine. It really just placed businesses and states in this weird position of pressure to remove/reduce requirements without holding the unvaccinated accountable.

I think the most motivators are going to come from the local efforts but I don't know how successful they will be. I do agree with the larger point many have been making, hard to come back from these types of guidelines and I think we kinda expected that (especially with the masks). Compliance to get people to go back to that was always going to be an issue once you let it go.

Yeah, the people I know who are against the vaccination aren’t going to change their minds because of this. The only exception is maybe my brother getting my nephew vaccinated. They’re not against the vaccine though just not sure about it for kids. They’re in CA so it seems feasible masks may be required in school but then again they’re in one of the rare conservative pockets there so who knows?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It’s over. Unless you’re dealing with environments where they can verify you’re vaccinated then all of policies with exceptions are useless. The anti-mask/anti-vaxx crowd is just going to lie and say they’re vaccinated. Walmart’s new policy is an absolute waste of time.

Require them or don’t require them. End of story.

I was surprised most with Walmart. The reason was they already said summer last year they wouldn't be enforcing the masks and most locations seemed to be that way. Gentle reminders at most but not removing guests or even approaching guests beyond a person at the door (who was also sanitizing carts or counting people for capacity reasons) Still for a lot of people they saw compliance in mask wearing in Walmart for the most part even without enforcing (which is really good IMO). I didn't think Walmart had anything to lose to continue with their policy even quietly having.

 

[OregonDisDad]

There is absolutely no way that we return to mask mandates. In fact, the remaining masking requirements almost certainly will be gone in weeks (not months).

I’m beyond glad to see them go. Going forward, I’m going to assume that masks are not required. I went to a few stores over the weekend. Although I was the only maskless person in each store at the time, there were no comments or angry looks from anybody, and I was treated well by everybody I interacted with. I think people are still uncertain about what they can do, and a bit uncomfortable ditching their mask out of concern for how others will react. I believe that will change in the next 2 weeks. At that point, we’ll see even more mask rules lifted.

I do also want to take a moment to comment on some of the posts I’ve read characterizing the unvaccinated as the vulnerable (sometimes with apparent glee). I’d encourage all to have a little grace. People are unvaccinated for a variety of reasons.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well, I did say, "I hope." I know a lot of people will skirt the guidelines - those people have been doing it anyway. Still, people are still seeking out shots - at least some of them may have been motivated by this. Every single one given is better for everyone.

Honestly I normally would agree with you but I think this is one of those "greater good" things. Like I said I was always skeptical. In the news story linked Gottlieb estimated 2-5% (how he got those numbers IDK) but is that 2-5% worth the fallout that I think was honestly expected? I don't know that we can answer that right now but usually it's totally good to say "every little bit helps" and it did before with respects to vaccinations. But now, now that's not quite the same if it's so lopsided that the net gain wasn't worth the net loss. If that makes any sense.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I do also want to take a moment to comment on some of the posts I’ve read characterizing the unvaccinated as the vulnerable (sometimes with apparent glee). I’d encourage all to have a little grace. People are unvaccinated for a variety of reasons.

People are vulnerable and at a higher risk of contracting covid without vaccination. That's purely what that means nothing more nothing less. Has zero to do with grace or what reasons people haven't gotten a vaccination.

Generally people who can't get vaccinated for medical reasons are protected by those who are vaccinated. That's who is normally defined by people as vulnerable. Throughout the pandemic vulnerable was also applied to the elderly and those in congregate settings (especially nursing homes) and other such characteristics.

Vulnerable now has been included to mean those who are unvaccinated, regardless of the reason in comparison to those who are vaccinated. It's a practical outlook here. If you aren't vaccinated you're part of the vulnerable population who people sought to protect throughout the pandemic. I'd also like to point out that throughout this pandemic a lot of people were quite pointed about those who are vulnerable should stay home, you don't need to be out and about. It's often those people, at least on comments (maybe not verbally said in real life), who haven't realized if they are unvaccinated they are those vulnerable people now (but of course who is going to tell them to stay at home? and some really don't care about their unvaccinated status).