For the first time in over a year I didn't have to wear a mask today at work....it felt kinda weird.

[bbhaag]

So as some of you may or may not know I own a SB located in Illinois. It's a retail business so like many other states Illinois has had a mask mandate in place for retail establishments that require employees(yes even though I'm the owner from a technical standpoint I'm just an employee)and customers to wear facemasks upon entering all retail business'. Well as many of you probably already know the CDC issued new guidelines for facemasks in certain settings for those of us who have been vaccinated.

Those guidelines state that anyone who has been vaccinated no longer needs to wear a mask outside of certain social settings like concerts, sporting events, ect. were really large groups of people gather in one place. So for the first time in over year I didn't wear a mask today at work!!! I have to admit it took some time to get used to it. I almost felt "naked" without it on but it was so awesome to not have to put it on before we open for the day. It had gotten to the point were it was just one of the daily things I had to do. Turn on the open signs, open the front gate, grab a radio, grab the phone, mask up ect. that I had forgotten how nice it is to not have to wear one.

Anyway, before I get the condescending comments about how Illinois has yet to rescind the mask mandate the Governor has already said he will update the executive order to follow the CDCs guidance. While I may have jumped the gun by a couple of days IDC because IT FEELS SO NICE to not have to wear a mask for 10+ hours a day.

Anyone else here excited about it? I know I was when I first heard the news.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I never had the displeasure of having to do all day stuff, just when I went into stores or the doc office so it's hard to compare to 10 hour days.

Regardless, I'm glad as well. Turned much more into a political topic instead of a scientific one. Wear a mask? Why not 4?

 

[Zorba]

What are you doing with your unvaxxed employees? Are you still requiring them for customers?

I'm glad I haven't had to wear one all day everyday, but for the most part I never even think about it being on any more. Did 9, 10+ hr days at Disney in a row while wearing, and a week in the office. Really not a big deal, but it'll be nice when there is no longer a need. If ignorant people would just get vaccinated...

That said, it was nice there was basically no flu or colds going around this year. I think it'll be years before I let someone who's obviously sick talk to me at my desk at work.

 

[Exterous]

I have also been lucky. I work from home almost all the time and on the rare occasions I go into work there is almost no one there and I have an office so I rarely have to use my mask

I think my wife would be looking more forward to this if school wasn't almost done for the summer. Teaching in a mask sucks but they'll probably finish out the year with a mandate

 

[purbeast0]

The past week in St. Thomas I barely wore a mask at all. That was mostly because we were outside the whole time though. When I went to grocery stores or we went to restaurants we would have to still wear them. But it was nice to actually feel quite normal out and about in public for a long time without having to wear a mask.

But I did have to wear a mask for about 6 hours straight while the whole airport/flight thing went on. It was not really a problem at all.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I've gotten so used to masks now that I think it will feel weird once they're not needed anymore, though I kinda look forward to it too if it actually happens. To me the biggest burden is the fact that I can't just impromptu go into a business. Like say I'm just walking about I can't just say "oh I'll just grab a few things at this store here" since I won't have one on me.

My work place is about the only time I don't bother as I'm usually alone in the building. Technically we're suppose to wear one until we get to our desk but I rarely bother, unless it's day shift and there's someone else in the building.

Here they have no return to normal plan even once everyone is vaccinated, so not sure what will happen really. I think people are just going to slowly stop complying while businesses stop enforcing it and it will happen gradually. The laws will always be there and it will be an extra charge they can tack on when they charge you for something else, but I think the enforcement will just stop in general.

 

[lxskllr]

I don't wear a mask much. Pretty much going to a restaurant or store. I'm fairly indifferent. I like my mask, and it isn't much of a burden for as little as I wear it. What I miss is the halcyon days of spring 2020, when schools were closed, and people stayed in their houses. Life was wonderful then.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Schools are still closed here, it's been on and off for over a year now.

I have to admit I do like it when they're closed too, way less traffic lol. There's a school in front of my house and it gets insane between 3:00 and 3:45. Kids don't seem to walk home these days they either get picked up or take the bus. My street is lined up with cars idling non stop for the entire time. Crazy to think this whole production happens every single day, what a waste of energy.

IMO we need to move society towards doing more from home if we want to fight climate change. It's stupid driving to and from the same place every day to do things that could be done at home.

 

[MrSquished]

NJ is still requiring masks indoors for a couple more weeks. When that is lifted I will probably not wear masks in large stores like grocery and Costco, as per their policy. But will in tighter quarters indoors. I am fully vaccinated.

 

[Baked]

CDC shouldn't have rushed this, at just a little over 50% vaccinated, and telling the vaccinated people to stop wearing masks, the antivaxxers and antimaskers will reinfect the vaccinated people and we'll get round 3. I will continue to mask indoors even though I'm fully vaccinated. People are cray cray.

 

[Fenixgoon]

my workplace is still requiring mask usage. no complaints here. though i work in a lab by myself for the moment, with few visitors, so i don't exactly *have* to (practically speaking). frankly, i wish work had required vaccination.

the masks don't bother me at all. a minor inconvenience to make sure the pandemic stays at bay.

 

[bbhaag]

my workplace is still requiring mask usage. no complaints here. though i work in a lab by myself for the moment, with few visitors, so i don't exactly *have* to (practically speaking). frankly, i wish work had required vaccination.

the masks don't bother me at all. a minor inconvenience to make sure the pandemic stays at bay.

We didn't require vaccination for our employees but all but one of them opted to get the vaccination.

I know a lot of you guys are white color types which makes sense. I mean if you think about the type of person this forum attracts/attracted means an office type job. I'm not saying that is true for everyone here obviously I'm an example of that. It just makes sense that most of you don't know what it feels like to wear a mask for hours and hours on end. Day in and day out.... every fucking day. With all respect please don't try and compare a trip to Walmart, Costco, Disney Land, or a vacay to some tropical island as some type of equivalent.

I've had a piece of clothe strapped to my face and around my ears for so many hours I felt guilty not wearing it even though I'm following the science. How fucked up is that?

 

[compcons]

We didn't require vaccination for our employees but all but one of them opted to get the vaccination.

I know a lot of you guys are white color types which makes sense. I mean if you think about the type of person this forum attracts/attracted means an office type job. I'm not saying that is true for everyone here obviously I'm an example of that. It just makes sense that most of you don't know what it feels like to wear a mask for hours and hours on end. Day in and day out.... every fucking day. With all respect please don't try and compare a trip to Walmart, Costco, Disney Land, or a vacay to some tropical island as some type of equivalent.

I've had a piece of clothe strapped to my face and around my ears for so many hours I felt guilty not wearing it even though I'm following the science. How fucked up is that?

This is so true. I work from home and don't wear a mask unless I have to go someplace. If I go shopping, I get agitated when my face gets hot under a mask.
My wife teaches. She has a mask on for 8 hours a day with zero breaks from it. Anytime I complain about wearing a mask, she pretty much tells me to fuck off.

I am glad to see restrictioms being lifted. Now that Republicans turned this into a political issue for some reason, we will have to wait to see how many of the dumbasses cross infect each other for their "freedumbs". I am expecting that we all end up getting yearly boosters to accommodate the spikes associated with stupid people not wanting to mask up or get vaccinated.

 

[Greenman]

Only ever wore one when in a store or around a client. I'll still be happy when it's no longer required.

 

[Captante]

While I will relax my mask wearing outdoors, I've been giving some serious thought to continuing to mask up anytime I'm in a store or around a crowd (during flu season at least) forever.

As some here may recall, I had a co-worker die from severe flu a few years ago and I came uncomfortably close to joining him myself. Not an experience I would care to repeat!

 

[sandorski]

The Gates RFID is working as expected. Sign up for the soon released Microsoft Mask, an IOT Mask that will receive regular Anti-Viral updates for your convenience.

Hail Bill!

 

[Fenixgoon]

We didn't require vaccination for our employees but all but one of them opted to get the vaccination.

I know a lot of you guys are white color types which makes sense. I mean if you think about the type of person this forum attracts/attracted means an office type job. I'm not saying that is true for everyone here obviously I'm an example of that. It just makes sense that most of you don't know what it feels like to wear a mask for hours and hours on end. Day in and day out.... every fucking day. With all respect please don't try and compare a trip to Walmart, Costco, Disney Land, or a vacay to some tropical island as some type of equivalent.

I've had a piece of clothe strapped to my face and around my ears for so many hours I felt guilty not wearing it even though I'm following the science. How fucked up is that?

Even though I was in my lab by myself, I actually did wear a mask basically the entire time I was at work. I got used to it. But you're right in that white collar office workers in general are going to have it easier.

I feel naked not wearing a seatbelt. But that shit works, so I wear it every time I get in my car no matter how short the distance.

 

[PingSpike]

While I will relax my mask wearing outdoors, I've been giving some serious thought to continuing to mask up anytime I'm in a store or around a crowd (during flu season at least) forever.

As some here may recall, I had a co-worker die from severe flu a few years ago and I came uncomfortably close to joining him myself. Not an experience I would care to repeat!

America has a culture of going to work sick, which then infects other people forcing them to go to work sick or infects their kids which people then load with tylenol and dump off at daycare sick...often because nobody has any sick days or gets massive blow back when they use them. I suppose the mask is the only pathetic defense an individual might have against that.

 

[Svnla]

We still have to wear masks if we are inside our work building complex. No exception.

Personally, I still wear my mask in public. Can't let my guard down, especially with the new variants of the virus, even I already had the vaccine last month.

 

[Zorba]

We didn't require vaccination for our employees but all but one of them opted to get the vaccination.

I know a lot of you guys are white color types which makes sense. I mean if you think about the type of person this forum attracts/attracted means an office type job. I'm not saying that is true for everyone here obviously I'm an example of that. It just makes sense that most of you don't know what it feels like to wear a mask for hours and hours on end. Day in and day out.... every fucking day. With all respect please don't try and compare a trip to Walmart, Costco, Disney Land, or a vacay to some tropical island as some type of equivalent.

I've had a piece of clothe strapped to my face and around my ears for so many hours I felt guilty not wearing it even though I'm following the science. How fucked up is that?

"No guys. Seriously, I had it worse!"

I've woren my mask for full weeks of work and for over 80 hours in a week multiple times. If you have a decent masks and just accept it, it's just not that big of a deal. My pants bother me much more than my mask most of the time, but I still wear them every fucking day, all fucking day.

Back in the day I used to have to wear a full coated tyvek with rubber gloves and full face respirator in the sun and 100 degree heat every fucking day, I had to literally dump the sweat out of my mask. Cotton in climate control ain't no big deal.

I do understand teacher's complaints since I'm sure it's hard to project and be understandable in a classroom all day.

ETA: Not saying you should keep wearing a mask. I just view a lot of the mask compliants just like the seat belt compliants in the early 90s. Made worse because so many people refused to purchase good masks that they found comfortable. People buy $100 for yoga pants to be comfortable, then put on a 50¢ mask and bitch about how horrible it is.

I wish people would just get vaccinated and we could all move on, at this point it is ignorant assholes that are prolonging the situation.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Still required to wear masks while walking around our building here at work and when helping a customer at our front desk. In our office and cubes we don't have to. We were out in Monterey yesterday and most people still wore masks while outdoors, and were required to wear them indoors unless you were eating or drinking. Outdoors it's not required if vaxxed, but our daughter (11) isn't yet so she had hers on except while we were on the beach. I feel bad that she still has to wear hers, so the rest of us continue to wear them in a crowd or indoors in solidarity. She'll be 12 in a few months so just gotta hang tight a little longer.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

We lucked out here at work, where when the lockdowns hit we were able to turn around and get nearly everyone to a WFH set-up in about a week.

As a result, those of us in leadership positions that had to continue to come in to the office for moral purposes basically had a building with like 3 people per floor (plenty distanced) and could get away with actually not wearing a mask at all (I still put one on anytime I left my desk, but did not have to sit around masked up all day).

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I am a huge believer in doing something three times within a short period of time and it becomes habit.
Masks were strange at first because we never wore them, then they became pretty normal. Going back to maskless will be strange at first but by the third day it will be normal.

 

[Captante]

My pants bother me much more than my mask most of the time, but I still wear them every fucking day, all fucking day

Thank god for small favors ?!?

 

[MtnMan]

Anyone else here excited about it? I know I was when I first heard the news.

We know that 30 - 40% of the adult population is not vaccinated.
It is very likely that 90%+ of those people will lie about being vaccinated.

It's the kind of excitement one gets when playing Russian roulette.