Almost Normal

The spike of omicron infections has fallen just as rapidly as it rose, dropping infections levels to where they were last summer when things were low, and all of a sudden it feels like everyone's just flipping a switch and going "back to normal," which leaves a lot of people in this weird limbo where we don't know what to do.

Lots of schools have announced they're ending or about to end their mask mandates for students. Many businesses have also announced they're dropping their mask requirements for employees (though for places like retail stores, there hadn't been a requirement for patrons for a long time). 

However, my own employer, although trying to do little things to encourage people to slowly start coming back to the office, is not only mandating that people wear masks while there, but even discouraging the use of cloth masks and providing approved 3-ply masks at the entrances. 

Yesterday my husband and I took the day off work to do an errand together (and because we both have a lot of PTO to use up). First we went to a business where we and the other customers were the only people wearing masks, and the employees were maskless and carefree. (I visibly saw spit come out of the mouth of the guy we were working with as he spoke, which made me appreciate the purpose of masks...) Then we went to Costco, where not only was everyone masked up but most people had brought out their strongest N95s. Then we took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather by going out for lunch where they had outdoor seating. (My third experience dining at a restaurant since March 2020, if you're keeping track.) While we wore masks on our way through the restaurant to our outdoor table, I only saw one masked employee, and obviously the patrons weren't wearing masks, including ourselves once we were seated. Finally, we went to the mall (just to a specific store near the entrance), and most people were masked, but there were a lot of exposed noses.

Going out yesterday felt almost normal, though. Tonight my husband's band is playing a show at a bar, probably the most "indoor" performance they've given since the pandemic started. Of course he'll be masked, but I don't know about the rest of the band, and I'm sure the patrons won't be... But I don't feel worried?