going out

[dragonlady7]

via https://ift.tt/2TAi4pQ

the other night, Dude and I went Out To Dinner. We made reservations for a little place that used to be a restaurant we liked and now is a different restaurant. I dressed up and put on makeup and forgot a mask, so I had to dig one out of my purse. (I have been so conscientious for so long I was actually in shock to realize I hadn’t picked one out to match my outfit…)

We went into the restaurant and nobody had a mask on. The hostess confirmed our reservation, gestured us to a seat, and said that in accordance with state law, masks aren’t required for the fully vaccinated; if you’re not vaccinated, of course you can remove your mask at your table but you should wear it everywhere else.

I already had trouble removing my masks at tables, but after that I sat there for a few moments in kind of shock. Dude went over the statistics with me– NYS has an infection rate well below 1%, the stats on a vaccinated person getting the illness anyway are impressively low, the stats on a vaccinated person spreading it are like– it just hasn’t really happened– etcetera.

I got over it and managed to enjoy the dinner, but in the midst of it, a woman who was a customer at the bar got up and walked across the room, holding her mask to her face, the ear loops dangling. She did not put it on. She just held it over her mouth. Like what the fuck are you doing. And I thought, that chucklefuck is definitely not vaccinated and is only wearing the mask because the friend she brought with her knows that and insisted.

So my thing so far has just been that I’m wearing masks anyway. Not quite everyone at work is vaxxed, and little kids come in sometimes, and so on and so forth– it just seems safer, and like, c’mon, I can just wear them. My coworker, who hasn’t worn a mask in his office for the duration of this, said when he goes out he always wears one but his wife doesn’t; they’re both vaccinated.

My worry is that now if you wear a mask people are going to assume you’re not vaccinated. But if you don’t wear a mask you look like a crazy antimasker.

I just want there to be a thing I can do that signals to people that I am respectful and not insane or antisocial, and it looks like now we don’t really have that anymore.

But we also don’t have to be crushingly afraid of getting sick, so. (Your picture was not posted)

Comments

[lauradi7dw]

The admittedly fictional TV show "Grey's Anatomy" sometimes has doctor characters rush into a sterile operating room to make a dramatic announcement and just grab a mask and hold it as you describe the restaurant patron doing, rather than taking the fraction of a second to put it on properly. During Covid times, all the characters have made a big deal of wearing masks in public (their hospital gear is very fancy) and then whipping them off, presumably so we can see their beautiful faces. Maybe restaurant patron has watched too many doctor shows.

I have ordered a mask that says "I'm vaccinated." I am curious to see what reaction it will get.

[dragonlady7]

I was thinking about celebratorily bedazzling a mask with "Vaccinated!" in sequins, I just didn't get around to doing it. I should, though.

[rmc28]

Yep, I'm fully vaccinated and I'm still defaulting to wearing a mask anywhere indoors (with a small number of exceptions). But at least here, they're still required most places, although I am frustrated they removed the requirement for masks in schools a few weeks ago - when children are the group that aren't vaccinated and won't be here for some time. Thankfully both my children's schools said basically "if children or staff are more comfortable continuing to wear masks, they can" rather than trying to pretend everything is ok.