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Post by kds on May 14, 2021 13:21:10 GMT
The way I see it, I've played by the rules, I limited contact with loved ones, cancelled trips, wore a mask, socially distances for these infamous "two weeks to flatten the curve" which have been going on for 14 months. I'm fully vaxxed, and will get any booster when necessary. Once we hit that 70% number, let's roll.
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Post by Kapitan on May 14, 2021 13:24:20 GMT
Once we hit that 70% number, let's roll. Oh I agree again. It's just that here, that number has gone by the wayside and we're "rolling" anyway, apparently, despite being 20% shy of that number. There isn't a lot of logic in our so-called leadership.
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Post by kds on May 14, 2021 13:27:27 GMT
Once we hit that 70% number, let's roll. Oh I agree again. It's just that here, that number has gone by the wayside and we're "rolling" anyway, apparently, despite being 20% shy of that number. There isn't a lot of logic in our so-called leadership. That's what happens with politics and science collide.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 17, 2021 13:47:43 GMT
Yesterday at church, the priest/pastor made an announcement that, effective immediately, if you were vaccinated, masks are no longer required in the church other than when receiving communion. That's the first time I had my mask off in public, well, in over a year.
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Post by kds on May 17, 2021 13:59:37 GMT
The indoor mask mandate in Maryland was lifted on Friday Evening, effective Saturday.
I had to run to the grocery store. Despite the mask sign no longer being on the door, everyone was still wearing one. Not wishing for any sort of confrontation, I put mine on too.
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Post by Kapitan on May 17, 2021 14:17:02 GMT
The indoor mask mandate in Maryland was lifted on Friday Evening, effective Saturday. I had to run to the grocery store. Despite the mask sign no longer being on the door, everyone was still wearing one. Not wishing for any sort of confrontation, I put mine on too. That kind of pragmatism and courtesy is something that could go a long way. It's a shame more people haven't been willing to extend similar courtesies over the past year.
But courtesy aside, people who are vaccinated and otherwise healthy are going to have to take off the training wheels. Some people seem very leery of returning to normal (or worse, of other people returning to normal, since a person can do whatever he wants, within reason). I get it, they've felt traumatized by all of this. But reality has to set in: if you're vaccinated and healthy, you're roughly as safe as you ever were pre-pandemic. Sure, you COULD get sick ... but you're more likely to die in a car accident on the way to or from wherever you were going.
At some point, being overly cautious is like having your parents check under your bed for monsters and leaving a nightlight on...when you're 18 years old.
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Post by kds on May 17, 2021 14:28:59 GMT
The indoor mask mandate in Maryland was lifted on Friday Evening, effective Saturday. I had to run to the grocery store. Despite the mask sign no longer being on the door, everyone was still wearing one. Not wishing for any sort of confrontation, I put mine on too. That kind of pragmatism and courtesy is something that could go a long way. It's a shame more people haven't been willing to extend similar courtesies over the past year.
But courtesy aside, people who are vaccinated and otherwise healthy are going to have to take off the training wheels. Some people seem very leery of returning to normal (or worse, of other people returning to normal, since a person can do whatever he wants, within reason). I get it, they've felt traumatized by all of this. But reality has to set in: if you're vaccinated and healthy, you're roughly as safe as you ever were pre-pandemic. Sure, you COULD get sick ... but you're more likely to die in a car accident on the way to or from wherever you were going.
At some point, being overly cautious is like having your parents check under your bed for monsters and leaving a nightlight on...when you're 18 years old.
I'm more than ready to ditch the masks, but for the time being, I'll continue to take it with me as I know some businesses will also chose to require them for a little while longer. As long as there are anti vaxxers out there, COVID won't ever go away, so I kinda get it. But, as somebody who's played fair, it's a little annoying.
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Post by Kapitan on May 17, 2021 14:33:26 GMT
That is one of the most annoying things to me (along with the inconsistent/bungled messaging from authorities): the large contingent of people whose refusal to do a bare minimum of precautions in the name of their own freedom is partly what is making it so that we can't have that very freedom they insist on!
The "free rider" issue is a common one in various social/political situations. And it's annoying as hell for people who play by the rules.
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Post by kds on May 17, 2021 14:42:25 GMT
That is one of the most annoying things to me (along with the inconsistent/bungled messaging from authorities): the large contingent of people whose refusal to do a bare minimum of precautions in the name of their own freedom is partly what is making it so that we can't have that very freedom they insist on!
The "free rider" issue is a common one in various social/political situations. And it's annoying as hell for people who play by the rules.
It really is annoying. And, in Maryland at least, vaccines are very easy to get. There's really no reason that we shouldn't be well beyond 65% of adults getting at least one dose.
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Post by Kapitan on May 17, 2021 14:58:27 GMT
Similar situation here. We're now up to 53.3% fully vaccinated and something like 62% with at least one dose. But within the past month or so, we've gone from it being hard to get the shots to ridiculously easy because demand has just cratered.
And I can pretty easily guess why: Minnesota is politically very much a toss-up. The people who wanted vaccines were quick to sign up and were on waiting lists for weeks and months while supplies were short, but as supplies became abundant, they all were taken care of quickly. What's left are a couple million people who don't want vaccines for political/cultural/identity reasons.
I'd love to see vaccination percentages by county in Minnesota. I'd bet that the metro area counties are actually above the state's target of 70%, and that the rural counties are probably far below--especially for healthy adults who aren't yet senior citizens. (I think most people of all political orientations agreed that seniors should get them, aside from a few really conspiracy-minded people.)
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Post by Kapitan on May 17, 2021 15:08:27 GMT
Big change locally just announced: Target is no longer requiring masks in cities that don't require them. They "strongly recommend" unvaccinated people still wear them.
Obviously, being Minneapolis-based, Target is a big influence around here. Minneapolis still has a mask requirement, but Minnesota on the whole does not, per the new CDC guidance. In fact, I'm not sure whether the Target I most often visit will have that requirement, as it's in an inner-ring suburb whose rules I don't know! (I'm only about 10 blocks from the border with that suburb.)
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Post by Kapitan on May 22, 2021 14:33:01 GMT
The first of my errands this morning was a trip to the coop in the nearest suburb. And what did I see when I walked in, but maybe 1/3 of the people unmasked! (In the past 14 months, 0% of the people have been unmasked.)
I confirmed with them: masks no longer required, though they are strongly recommended for unvaccinated people. (Minnesota lifted its requirement, generally leaving it to cities and businesses to make their own decisions. Minneapolis still has its in place.)
So as I was finishing up, I removed my mask inside. It felt shockingly good. Amazing, actually. My next two stops were Target and Home Depot in that same suburb, and I was ready to go unmasked there as well, but to my surprise everyone in both was masked, so I didn't want to stand out. That was a bit of a downer. But the coop, oh my, that was nice.
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Post by kds on May 23, 2021 0:51:53 GMT
On Wednesday, I went maskless at a grocery store for the first time in a year or so. It felt.....normal. I'd say 85% of the folks there were masked, but I thought, fuck it, gotta take the training wheels off. Within a few minutes, I saw two employees sans mask and that took care of any temptation to put mine on.
In the last few days, I've been to a liquor store, Target, and restaurant maskless. Since being fully vaccinated, I've also gone back to wearing contact lenses full time.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on May 24, 2021 16:55:37 GMT
I received my second Moderna shot on Friday. Saturday I cut the grass and had breakfast and not long after I began to get a headache and felt dizzyish the rest of the day. On Sunday I felt a little better, but still kind of tired and developed a runny nose. Last night I had trouble sleeping and woke up with a very sore throat. That dissipated and my nose is finally drying up. I'm glad I got the shot, but really glad the side effects are ending.
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Post by Kapitan on May 27, 2021 12:48:00 GMT
Today our governor is expected to announce an assortment of incentives to get vaccinations back on track. The first 100k people to get the shots are going to get things like free fishing licenses, passes to our state parks, to the State Fair, or some sports events.
Minnesota is around 51% total population vaccinated and 64% of 16+ Minnesotans vaccinated. The state's target is 70% of the 16+ population. While we've only got about 6% of that target group to go, the pace has REALLY slowed, as it seems most of the people who wanted vaccines already got them.
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