Life After Masks....

by Marilyn Moore

This basket of masks has been near our front door for the last year, ready to grab one as I left the house, or put one on if someone came to the door.  There's another such stash in the car.  It's a mishmash of masks...some were made by family and friends (thank you Darla and Mary, some were cool purchases, and some were distributed by non-profits (the ones from the Food Bank and Audubon fit especially well).  I have the Husker Red plaid, one that borders on glitzy (not my usual style, but fun on occasion), the ubiquitous Humana green, lots of stripes and solid colors, and my most common choice, the disposable ones worn by health care providers that are now, finally, available most everywhere.  I have watched in awe as some people wore a mask like an accessory, color coordinated with their shirt or jacket.  I never achieved that, never even attempted. 

And now, I wonder about the future of my basket of masks.  Two days ago, the CDC announced that people who were fully vaccinated were able to safely go without masks most any place, outdoors and indoors.  There are exceptions, of course, including health care settings and public transportation, along with crowded indoor settings, but for the most part, it's safe to be in public without a mask.  The vaccines are working exactly as predicted from the pilots and the field studies, and those who are fully vaccinated are protected against the disease.  In the studies that prompted the CDC announcement this week, it has been determined that anyone who has a breakthrough infection even if they have been vaccinated carries such a small viral load of the virus that they will not infect others.  So...it's true...vaccines work, and because of that, those who are vaccinated do not need to wear masks.

This announcement made headline news, really big headline news.  It was the topic of the evening cable news shows.  It was the headline of the online and in print newspapers.  Cheers all around - an affirmation of science, a loosening of restrictions, another step on the way back to normal, whatever "normal" might look like.  And, inevitably, questions...because nothing is every quite a clear-cut as it might first seem.  That would be life....

I wonder how long it will take to feel "safe" to enter a public space without a mask; for some of us, wearing a mask is one of the few things we could do to feel like we were protecting others and ourselves.  Does it feel risky to give up that protection, even knowing we're vaccinated and that the vaccination works?

I wondered if people in Lincoln would immediately stop wearing masks, even though our local mask mandate is still in effect.  My visit to our neighborhood grocery store this morning indicates we're still mask wearers, or rule followers, with not a bare face visible.

What about households, or families, where some are vaccinated and some are not, because of age or lack of access or a health condition that makes a vaccine unwise?  Do parents mask anyway to protect their children?  Do children mask to protect their parents?  And what about work places, and schools?  (Really glad I'm not in charge of figuring out those protocols, and my gratitude and admiration to those who will....)

In some groups, and in some settings, discreet, or. not so discreet, inquiries were made about vaccination status.  For some people, being comfortable in a group was dependent upon knowing whether or not others were vaccinated.  Now, does the absence of a mask indicate a person has been fully vaccinated, or does it mean a person hasn't been vaccinated but has also decided to no longer wear a mask?  And, if you're the person who has been vaccinated, does another person's vaccination status matter?  After all, the science says you're protected...and you can go without a mask.  But, do you really believe it?

Will not wearing a mask because you're fully vaccinated, which no one will know unless you tell them, become as political and divisive as masks have become?  What happens if there's a resurgence in some communities, or a major breakout due to a new variance?  Will we believe it if we're told we need to resume wearing masks again?  We ill we do it? 

Mostly, I wonder how we'll navigate the next stage of knowing, and not knowing.  Will we be thrilled to see so many people without masks, or will we be suspicious?  Will we mostly trust one another, or will we dredge up every example we've ever seen, and some have seen plenty, that gives us reasons to not trust that everyone will make the best and safe decision?  

And, as we resume more in person gatherings, will we remember how to do that?  Will we remember social life and social skills and how to engage in informal conversation before the meeting or a dinner party or a concert?  Life in Zoom world is pretty two-dimensional; will I remember how to live and interact in three dimensions?

My good friend Norma say that from her experience it takes about two weeks to learn a new habit.  We've been wearing masks for the better part of a year, so that habit is deeply engrained.  Will I just stop wearing a mask, or will I ease into it?  Wear one in the grocery store, but not at the small group study where I know everyone is vaccinated?  We lived through many months of not having to make a decision; the rule was, "Wear the mask."  Now, there are decisions to be made, factors to be weighed, variables to be considered.  Yet another stage of growing up...it never stops.

The entire pandemic has been a reminder that there is much that we don't know, and during this time we've had the amazing opportunity to watch science in action.  As more was learned, advice changed, based on what was learned.  This is the next step; new advice based on the latest studies.  Is it the final word?  Most likely, not.  But this is a good word, a good place to be right now.  And perhaps it's evidence that at some time Covid 19 will become like polio and small pox, diseases that have been essentially vanquished by vaccinations.  In praise of scientists, again, and a hope for grace to one another as we venture through this next phase of life in a pandemic. 

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