[Boomer]

wow — tough crowd, today. . .

Just imagine the s*%t a server in TV would have to take if wearing a mask.

Dear Mr. Shorzenabunch & Co.,

Please calm down. This is getting just plain mean.

In this line-up, I gotta luv the accusation of arrogance. (“Hellooooo, kettle. It’s the pot calling.”) Yeah. I know. That remark by me was a little mean. But it seems to be a day for irony.

Sincerely,
Boomer


Dear OP,

We had reached the point where we did not even notice if anybody was wearing a mask. But then our friend, even older than us Boomers, and with multiple co-morbidities caught it. Definite positive test result. He was vaccinated and boosted. Really worried for a few days. He kicked it though. He is fine now. (He thinks he might have picked it up at a game. Some Ohioans sure do love to sit on bleachers and holler.)

In juxtaposition — we also know a young man, 42, no co-morbidities. He decided that refusing to be vaccinated, along with a bunch of his buddies, was going to be “the hill to die on.” I hope it is not, but he is in an induced coma now and, if he survives, his lungs will never be the same.

I am still back in Ohio where our hospitals are feeling it.

We are both vaccinated and boosted, but we have decided to be more careful for a while, until this post-holiday surge here passes — I hope. The governor has called in the National Guard to help hospitals for some areas of Ohio.

That means we are not as out and about as we had been. And we are wearing our masks in the grocery, etc., and holding off on eating out for a couple of weeks.

I remain totally pizzed off at those who refuse vaccination for no good reason — because not only are they cramping my style — more importantly they are filling up our Ohio hospitals and causing surgeries to be prioritized or postponed. And now I have two people I know who are clearly illustrating that vaccination (boosted) is our best weapon in this war.

Back to the original topic: Even though, we make our choices, I must say that I would not be comfortable asking a server to put on a mask or being in a group with someone who did ask.

The virus is a whole lot smarter than us — and far more adaptable than we are. Human Nature is getting us while that ugly, little, spiky, evil genius, known as Covid, is having fun, playing games.

Boomer (who was not going to post in this thread. Damn.)

[jdulej]

Originally Posted by Joe V.

I don't think your wallet is that big of a concern to the restaurant. I am sure no one else in the place cares whether you leave or not.

In the end, any one of us has very little power. All we can do is maintain our integrity to ourselves and not be intimidated by others. I don't really care one way or the other if anyone else notices my action or not. I do think it's only fair to let the restaurant know, since any responsible establishment should be interested in why they have an unsatisfied customer. What they do with the info is their business.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by jdulej

Well, we all have our personal guidelines. For me, it is common courtesy to do what little I can to protect others from the pandemic. I don't really care if they want it or not, they are getting it. The value of wearing a mask to protect others (or not) has been beaten to death, and no one is getting their minds changed. I chose to believe it may help, and it's a small price to pay.
I don't know it that matches one of your labels, and don't really care.

Yes, it matches "A"----incredibly altruistic. Thank you, but I suspect you are in the very small minority of those that wear a mask in a restaurant.

[Papa_lecki]

“Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There's no place for them in light of Omicron," said CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, on CNN Newsroom Tuesday.

Why you should upgrade your mask as the Omicron variant spreads - CNN

Now, this article suggests wearing an N95 mask, BUT, the CDC specifically recommends against that.
Your Guide to Masks | CDC

[PugMom]

& i won't give anyone the evil eye if they are masking up: i assume you're vulnerable to infection, or maybe sick yourself, & keeping it away from others. i tend to avoid contact with a masked person for THEIR sake,... not mine.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki

“Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There's no place for them in light of Omicron," said CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, on CNN Newsroom Tuesday.

Why you should upgrade your mask as the Omicron variant spreads - CNN

Now, this article suggests wearing an N95 mask, BUT, the CDC specifically recommends against that.
Your Guide to Masks | CDC

From the site you provided:

Are specially labeled “surgical” N95 respirators, as those should be prioritized for healthcare personnel

From a CDC site off a link on your site which provides more detailed information:

When supplies are available, individuals may choose to use a basic disposable N95 respirator for personal use, instead of a mask, in some situations.

CDC recommends that specially labeled “surgical” N95 respirators should be prioritized for healthcare personnel.

[Bonnevie]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Why are you citing year old data?

I did mess up the year on the first one. it should have said 2022
that was my error not the CDC site. here is there website for you to verify:

CDC COVID Data Tracker

[Bonnevie]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Why are you citing year old data?

here's the website: CDC COVID Data Tracker

I misentered the date because I was striving for accuracy and didn't want to imply both were thru 1/5/2022. and in doing so, hit wrong key because I'm still getting used to new year.. the testing data was thru 1/2/2022, just my fault at hitting wrong key.

as you can see, the other data is thru 1/5/2022.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki

“But more surprising is the breakdown in vaccine hesitancy by level of education. It finds that the association between hesitancy and education level follows a U-shaped curve with the highest hesitancy among those least and most educated. People with a master’s degree had the least hesitancy, and the highest hesitancy was among those holding a Ph.D.

What’s more, the paper found that in the first five months of 2021, the largest decrease in hesitancy was among the least educated — those with a high school education or less. Meanwhile, hesitancy held constant in the most educated group; by May, those with Ph.Ds were the most hesitant group. “ Carnegie Mellon U research

Interesting. I wonder if it is because Ph.D.s are vain as to think they know better than others, or because Ph.D.s are often more theoretical than practical and thus a bit "head in the clouds" or because Ph.D.s feel they need a never-ending stream of data from which to draw their final conclusions? Makes me wonder now which industries (i.e. education, health science, engineering, etc.) the majority of Ph.D.s are in and if that has any sway upon vaccination perception. Thanks Papa_Lecki, interesting.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

Interesting. I wonder if it is because Ph.D.s are vain as to think they know better than others, or because Ph.D.s are often more theoretical than practical and thus a bit "head in the clouds" or because Ph.D.s feel they need a never-ending stream of data from which to draw their final conclusions? Makes me wonder now which industries (i.e. education, health science, engineering, etc.) the majority of Ph.D.s are in and if that has any sway upon vaccination perception. Thanks Papa_Lecki, interesting.

If they are declining vaccination, my guess is a doctorate in medieval French opera. Clearly, they have no knowledge of medical science

[Boomer]

Ya know, PhD stands for piled higher and deeper.

Some PhDs know a lot of useful stuff.

Some know a lot of interesting stuff.

But some are what I call Belly-Button Contemplators who overthink everything and can’t get outa their own way.

I know some of each. . .but those characteristics apply across all of us — no matter what the education level.

Boomer

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki

“But more surprising is the breakdown in vaccine hesitancy by level of education. It finds that the association between hesitancy and education level follows a U-shaped curve with the highest hesitancy among those least and most educated. People with a master’s degree had the least hesitancy, and the highest hesitancy was among those holding a Ph.D.

What’s more, the paper found that in the first five months of 2021, the largest decrease in hesitancy was among the least educated — those with a high school education or less. Meanwhile, hesitancy held constant in the most educated group; by May, those with Ph.Ds were the most hesitant group. “ Carnegie Mellon U research

Is this the same study that used data that was fact checked here?

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Is this the same study that used data that was fact checked here?

Not for nothing, but that was one of the the worst cases of "fact checking" I've ever seen...

[D.Bolen]

Re the original post, why would anyone concerned about people being masked dine at a public restaurant where all in his/her party (and those at other tables (and bar if there is one)) will remove their own masks upon being served drinks/food? Air may be invisible, but isn't anyone intelligent enough to compose a sentence (much less use a computer to post on this site) also intelligent enough to know that air (and any particulates therein) can freely circulate in all directions? Anyone who believes an arbitrary "social distancing" number of feet is a guarantee that covid-tainted air cannot reach him is about as mature as the toddler who covers his eyes and believes no one can see him. The image of a group of adults marching into a restaurant wearing masks, sitting down & removing them and then self-righteously chastising an unmasked waiter for risking their safety sounds like fodder for the next Saturday Night Live sketch.

[jdulej]

Originally Posted by D.Bolen

Re the original post, why would anyone concerned about people being masked dine at a public restaurant where all in his/her party (and those at other tables (and bar if there is one)) will remove their own masks upon being served drinks/food? Air may be invisible, but isn't anyone intelligent enough to compose a sentence (much less use a computer) also intelligent enough to know that air (and any particulates therein) can freely circulate in all directions? Anyone who believes an arbitrary "social distancing" number of feet is an ironclad guarantee that covid-tainted air cannot reach him is about as mature as the toddler who covers his eyes and believes no one can see him. The image of a group of adults marching into a restaurant wearing masks, sitting down & removing them and then self-righteously chastising an unmasked waiter for risking their safety sounds like fodder for the next Saturday Night Live sketch.

One last try, then I'm going out to eat.

I think you are correct that an arbitrary social distancing number is not an ironclad guarantee of anything. I also think the likelihood of passing a meaningful quantity of "something" from person A to person B is much higher if they are 2 feet apart than if they are 6 ft apart. The wait person is the perfect storm of badness. They move from 2 feet from person A to 2 feet from person B thus upping the chances of passing something from A to B. In fact, they may pass things from many person As to many person Bs.

So, if anyone should wear a mask, it's the waitperson.

Now, for those who think the whole thing is BS and 800K Americans would be dead now anyway life is a lot simpler but I'm not sure who has their head in the sand