"I feel safe"

I would guess that maybe it means "I have weighed up the risks, taken various factors into account and decided I am comfortable with this level of risk, while knowing nothing is 100% safe."

I don't think we're there yet with the vaccination (rates aren't high enough) but in the end it will be as good as it gets. I don't believe we were promised more than that.

For me, it means that whatever precautions being taken are enough for me to not have anxiety.

Am I safe? Of course not. But I would also say that I feel safe in my neighborhood and that doesn't eliminate the possibility of something happening to me.

Maybe safe is more "acceptable level" or I've accepted the risk.

For me...
Dh works with covid patients all day in full ppe, but that doesn't keep him from being exposed by others in the hospital or out in public.

I work in a school with 600+ students with no mask mandate or real quarantine protocol.

Ds goes to a school with similar numbers and the same non-protocols.

Am I safe? No, but there's really nothing I can do about it at this point.

Would I go somewhere small and confined and purposefully sit with unvaccinated people who refuse any precautions? Probably not.

Will I be at opening night of hockey with thousands of other people? Yup.

"I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead" ~ jimmy buffett

I don’t think there is a “safe” .

I think there is a risk assessment instead.

Outdoor, generously distanced, short time exposure , high quality mask and vaccination , with no extra health vulnerability would equal less risk - but not “safe” .

The opposite circumstances would represent high risk.

I guess it depends on what level of risk a person is comfortable with.

Our family opts for as low risk as possible and takes every precaution going which means sacrifice but it is our choice .

I think I use 'safer' rather then safe. Vaccinated and I mask when out.
Groceries delivered by masked person. Me too.
Avoid large groups.

Therefore 'safer'...

it's not, at least not to me. It is a genuine question as we all have different perspectives. If I felt I was doing something wrong, them I might feel called out.

 It is a risk assessment exercise.

For me, wearing a mask makes me feel comfortable that I'm mitigating the chances of getting sick.

I value a feeling of safety in many things I do so drive wearing a seatbelt, ride wearing a helmet and kayak wearing a lifejacket.

I do feel fairly safe from Covid - I’m vaccinated and everyone in my family, extended family and all friends are vaccinated and I don’t have any underlying health conditions putting me at risk for hospitalization.

I haven't read all the responses.
It's not that I feel safe. I have been vaccinated and will get the booster when I am eligible, which should be late December. I have started wearing masks again when I am at the grocery store. I honestly don't think we will ever be completely "safe" from Covid. I am not a scientist, but I just feel like it is here to stay. I hope I am wrong.

So at this point, I am doing what I can to protect myself, but I cannot isolate myself like we all mostly did in early 2020. I mostly eat outdoors when I go to restaurants, but I have eaten indoors, too. I have traveled--I went to the beach in Florida this summer, and I was a bit nervous because it was soooooooooo crowded everywhere. I have flown on a plane twice, wearing a mask. I am traveling out of state this weekend by car. I use hand sanitizer more than I ever have.

But I don't think I will ever feel completely safe from Covid. I'm just doing what I can to minimize my risk while living my life.

Interesting to note that the CDC doesn’t use the word “safe.” It uses “more risky” and “less risky.” There is no safe. There never will be again. There’s only whatever level of risk we’re willing to take or that is forced upon us.

“Safe” from the virus has taken on a whole new meaning for me. Pre-vaccination, at my primary school cafeteria job, I actually felt fairly safe. Everyone was wearing (mandated) masks and practicing social distancing, and I set up a way to still charge students but not doing my computer job face-to-face with a bunch of unvaccinated kids. I felt that most folks were doing what they could to protect each other, even with the occasional maskless person I encountered in the grocery store or more often, at Walmart. I washed my hands frequently and used Lysol wipes. I was never scared, though I was worried about the virus impacting loved ones who were older or immunocompromised.

Post-vaccine it’s a whole different world. Yes, I do feel “safer” since being vaccinated, and will get my booster shot next month. But I am no longer depending on others to protect me. I live in a red state, and the number of right-wing anti-mask, anti-vaccine, Ivermectin-swigging locals is astounding to me. School board voted no for masks this year, and social distancing is limited. We have no virtual option so everyone is back in school, many have been quarantined including unvaxxed staff. I do mask up when exposed to the student population. I can no longer trust the folks I encounter (some on a daily basis - I know of at least six in my district cafeteria staff of 14 who refuse the vaccine), both intentionally and randomly, and so my faith in the basic goodness of humanity has definitely been compromised by the pandemic.

So I guess my answer is both yes and no.

The smartest thing I’ve read about this is that we should stop trying to treat COVID like the flu, and start treating the flu like COVID. 20,000 deaths a year in the UK? Avoidable.