packgrad said:
JasonNCSU said:
"Science" finally starting to prevail.
We will see what Cooper and Cohen do with the indoor mask mandate. I would not be surprised it they keep it in place. I do expect many businesses to keep it in place, even if the mandates for indoors are lifted. Cooper was asked this week to increase the number of fans at the Carolina Hurricanes' playoff games at the PNC arena (current limit is 6,000 fans), but he has so far said no. As a comparison, the Nashville Predators are allowing 14,000 fans.
It has been interesting following the reaction of people on Twitter today to the Elf saying people who are vaccinated do not need to mask outdoors (it should apply to unvaccinated as well). The number of people who disagree with this statement is simply stunning. Many said they want the extra layer of safety and do not trust being around unvaccinated people. A few even said they did not want to be consider "Republicans" so they would continue to wear a mask to demonstrate they are not.
At this point, for many masks have become a performative talisman that signals the virtue of the wearer over others. I do recognize some people are legitimately afraid and it will take public health officials and the media to begin spreading the word that vaccines will protect you from serious Covid infection, hospitalizations, and death. However, I do not expect the media to do so, as long as they continue to try and generate fear for ratings and page reads.
My wife and I are friends with a couple who we have a yearly dinner with to celebrate our wedding anniversaries. We were both married in May, so we go out to a local restaurant as couples in May to celebrate (skipped it last year). They are a few years older than I am (mid-60's) and are legitimately frightened to go out to a restaurant. My wife and I have been eating in restaurants since they reopened after the initial lockdowns and before vaccination, we usually (99% of the time) ate outside. Since being vaccinated, we are now eating indoors and I usually remove my mask as soon as I am seated and only put it back on to walk through the restaurant when I am leaving. At this point, we have convinced them to eat outdoors at a restaurant, but they are still very hesitant. The psychological damage done to many in our population is stunning and it could take years for many to get over their fear.