Hey CDC, I'm not really ready to shred my mask?
It was February of 2020. I was at my doctor's office for something routine. They asked me to put on a mask. Sure, why not. It was only for a half-hour. On the way out of the office, I grabbed this one from their front desk. I took this photo as a joke. Who knew that a month later, the joke would be on me?
Wearing a mask has been a part of our life for more than a year. Most of the time, when we leave our homes we don't even check to see if we have a mask. There's usually one in our car or in our coat pocket. Masking up is something we do almost automatically now.
Life has certainly changed over the last year. We went from 'I have to wear a mask? Are you f'ing kidding me?', to stressing over trying to find a mask because there was a run on them; almost the same as the run on toilet paper, to putting on your mask the same as putting on your pants, shirt, shoes, etc.
But now, everything we learned in the last year is going to change. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it's face time! If you're fully vaccinated, you can take off your mask. It doesn't matter if you're indoors or outside, a mask is not needed. You don't even have to sweat the social distancing thing anymore, either.
Hmmm....maskless faces and bodies rubbing up against each other in public? It sounds like Studio 54 in the late 1970s or most train rides on the Red Line, in Chicago, during rush hour. All you need is the cocaine.
So CDC, I have one question about this? REALLY? ARE YOU SURE?
I know that's actually two questions, but it wasn't all that long ago when you told us that we should still wear our masks, even after we were vaccinated. Yeah, I know about science and how it's always changing, but again I ask you REALLY? ARE YOU SURE?
I understand that you're sure this is safe, but I hope you'll understand if I and plenty of others aren't quite sure yet. And if this is really safe and there's a 95% chance that I won't get Covid after being vaccinated, why do I still have to wear a mask on the bus...or the train...or an airplane?
So CDC, you know how you've had to sell the safety of the Covid vaccine so that most of America would get vaccinated? You're going to have to do the same selling on the no-mask thing with some of us.
Hey CDC, later tonight, I'm heading to a fancy restaurant downtown. I'm sure it'll be packed, and maybe overpacked, with diners. Most of them will now be maskless because you said it's fine. I'll still be wearing mine because I'm still a little skeptical. I hope that's okay with you and the science.
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