I Know I’m in The Minority But I Have To Ask

If I ignore the Texas/Florida aspect, it's a fair discussion to have, though more nuanced than is realistic these days. 
Outside of the U.S., this is a worldwide issue with many countries being more conservative in their approach to Covid than much of the US (and Florida and Texas in particular) and I think living in an area where you don't trust that your neighbours are vaccinated and/or masked would make one much more anxious.  I don't "live in fear" because I know that 85% of my community is fully vaccinated, that there are clear rules that only vaccinated people can go into restaurants, theatres, sporting events, gyms etc, and that masks are always required indoors.  With that knowledge I've had very little "fear" and have been happily going about my life feeling like I've done what I can to keep my neighbours safe.  Until Omicron, which appears to be a game changer and I'm now reassessing risk, cancelling some events we had previously agreed to.  Because new information requires reassessment and adaptation.

And each new variant is causing us to consciously surface the risk and re-examine it in a way we don't usually do.  Like I don't normally think, how do I feel about left-hand turns or highway driving today or flying on a plane today.  I've made those decisions long ago and behave according to the risk I'm comfortable with, without having to consciously think about it.  

I think part of the issue overall is that we don't know if these are temporary measures or if we will have to live with Covid (and in what form) forever.  So do we need to make permanent adaptations or just ride it out?  And have we adapted enough?  Will we need to keep adapting our behaviour?  It's tough when there isn't complete information for us to make the call on what is 'enough'.

It is odd to me that some feel that because Covid will be around forever that we should abandon current precautions and live a pre-Covid lifestyle.  That would be like saying "Now that I realize AIDS will be here forever instead of just a couple years, I'm not wearing a condom anymore because I don't want to live in fear".  Or "We're 2 years out from 9/11, so I'm going through security with as much liquids as I want!".  Or "I have to wear a seatbelt every time?!  And I can never drive drunk?!  Like not ever?  This is stupid I'm not living in fear".  As the world changes or we learn more about what can kill us, we adapt our behaviour and evolve.  It's how we have survived so long as a species.  My point being, if this is a long term issue we would be better to accept that the world has changed (for the much much worse) and allow our brains to do hedonic adaptation and just adapt our behaviours instead of continually fighting it.

I don't know what I would call myself, honestly. I wouldn't call myself "living in fear." But I do feel like I am respectfully cautious of COVID. I've curbed some activities - ie, I won't go to church bc from what I can see on the live stream, very few are wearing masks. My office has not cleared me to work onsite, so I am still home, but I see it as doing our part to keep people less exposed and hopefully that means less chance to burden our health care people. I wear masks when I go indoors shopping, because I have no idea if people are vaxxed or not but if it helps protect me from getting sick, even if it's a cold, I'm game. If it helps protect the spread to someone else, that's fine too, but now, I'm wearing the mask for ME. I truly have zero sympathy for those who do not get the vaccine and get sick, and I hate that I feel that way about humanity.

I'm in MD. I'm triple vaxxed and my kids are scheduled to get boosters next week. DD just came home from college today - the University of Maryland has closed the dining halls to be carry out only, most exams have been moved online. The school cancelled their winter graduation ceremony jut days before it was supposed to occur. I saw an article yesterday that PG county public schools (where the school is located) will remain virtual through MLK in January. I don't think we will ever see lockdowns/shut downs like we did before, but I really hope, esp for DD, that they can go back to school. They take precautions- UMD required vaccinations AND they have to wear masks in all buildings (except dorms), so I think these kids deserve to have a somewhat normal experience, esp if they are doing the right thing (vaxxing, wearing masks, social distancing, etc). DS is in high school, and also on winter break. I know he would do ok if they moved online, but seriously, my kids thrive when they are in a traditional school setting.

I truly appreciate all teachers, and all health care workers, going in every day going up against God knows what.

I’m in Dallas County multiple times a week as my dad, MIL, and sister live there. I can assure you there’s not a mandate and that no one is enforcing or wearing masks there.

My reply about you being negative is solely based on the little comments you threw out after you started on what your situation is in Texas. It bothers me that areas don’t take this as serious as it should be, but I can’t waste my energy on that because I can’t change that fact.

I don’t waste energy engaging on social media pages either, as it’s a waste of energy, as well when it comes to this subject.. Your comment on what your area is doing didn’t bother me in the slightest. It was the snide comment that “everyone dies”. Of course that is correct, we will all die as it’s the circle of life, but in a time when people are losing loved ones, and the health field is battling to save patients from a Covid death comments like yours bring little to the table. All it brings is more divide on a subject that is divided enough.

Nothing I say will sway you, and nothing you say will make your comments more tolerable so I’m going to stop here.

Yes, this exactly.  We have a Republican governor, he was one of the last ones to have a mask mandate from late November 2020- March 2021.  He prevented universities from requiring vaccines.  K-12 schools all made individual decisions regarding masks.  Some stores have a face masks recommended sign but that's it.  However, my family still wears masks and will continue, regardless of what the governor does.

Our state has a spike in cases and hospitals are overwhelmed.  Emergency protocols were put in a place at a local ER, prioritizing patients because they're overloaded.  The governor activated national guard troops to help hospitals.  And that is exactly why my family is taking precautions to help stop the spread.

You’ve articulated what I had been musing about the last several hours (while cleaning my journeying kids’ bedrooms!). I bristle at the “living in fear” accusation because of the hyperbole. It implies an unreasonable level of weakness and submission; an abandonment of reason. But after posting, I kept thinking, “I AM afraid of Covid. How does one admit that while denying the implied obsession with fear?”

You’ve done a good job; we could benefit from more fear and less Covid nonchalance (or scorn).

I’m afraid of a lot of things. If I listed them, there’d be a lot of head-nodding. Covid is on the list.

Fear doesn’t mean capitulation. We evaluate risk…chance. Control what we can. Avoid what we can. Risk what we must. Protect as many as we should.

I don’t know what the opposite of fear is but it’s sure not bravery. They coexist out of necessity. Bravery and fear. Strength and hesitation. Wisdom and risk. 

So, my kids return tonight from the other side of the country after a 2020 Christmas missed. I am delighted, grateful, excited. In spades…in “I love you from here to the moon” heaps. But I’m also a tad anxious. And a little afraid. 

(And…this just in: their connecting flight has been delayed five hours. )

I'm just so tired.

I live in a blessedly blue state, in a county that's highly vaccinated, and we have mask mandates and required vaccinations (or weekly testing) for school staff.

It's still exhausting.

Up until the recent surge, I started to venture out. I am vaccinated and boosted. I mask up, but would very infrequently go to a restaurant (off-peak, preferably outdoors, and only with 1-2 vaxxed and boosted friends or family). I went to live theatre (vaccination/test and mask required). I went to the gym (wore a mask). I went shopping, masked.

Now with the surge and variant, and out of caution for my immunocompromised/COPD-diagnosed dad, I've scaled way back on all of it in prep for holiday.

There were so many failings in how this was handled, but I can only control myself. I will do as much as I can to keep me and my family safe, will feel no guilt or shame about it (regardless if some internet stranger thinks I'm "living in fear) and I am frankly OUT of compassion for those who choose to forego mitigation strategies like vaccination and masking and wind up getting sick or dying. I'm out of it. My field of fucks to give is barren. Whatever happens, happens. Good luck, godspeed, go fuck yourselves.

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me on this thread whether you agree with me or not.

There have been some really hard days for me, my coworkers, and for my family over the last few months. Directly and indirectly related to Covid. I've lived through some nightmarish things in my life but nothing prepared me for the constant stress of this pandemic plus my SO battling cancer.

I don't want to say that I live in fear, but I do worry that if I bring home Covid and something should happen to him, I'll never recover from the guilt. Never. And that is very heavy. My entire career is based on trying to mitigate infections. And if I can't protect him, well I guess I'm failing.

That's the fear. And that's my heart on my sleeve tonight ladies. 

I’m guessing there’s a Darwin Award in your future. 

Imagine getting on Al Gore's internet and bragging about excessive speeding and refusing health mitigations like it's a badge of honor.

TBH, don't eat anything from this person's kitchen, ever. Seems like a non-hand washer.

You wearing a mask doesn’t protect YOU from GETTING infected, it protects OTHERS from getting infected BY YOU if you are carrying the virus. 

Please don’t tell me that after 20 months you don’t understand how this works. It has been presented over and over and over again. 

So, yes, people who don’t mask evidently don’t understand basic information that has been public for over a year (you draw conclusions about their intelligence given that fact), and they are also selfish. 

I completely understand how it works. If YOU are wearing a mask YOU are protected from others. That’s what you just said.