About two weeks ago officials here lifted the county-wide rule requiring masks to be worn indoors in public places. The sign at the grocery store saying that masks were required disappeared right away. Most people were still wearing them, however.
Then this week, the sign was back but now it says, masks are ‘encouraged.’ At the country-controlled liquor store, the sign on the door says that if you are vaccinated, masks are not required. There is no checking of vaccination cards, of course.
At the federally run post office there are two signs, one on each of the double doors at the entrance. One sign said that masks are required and the other said that masks are encouraged.
Traveling by air last week, I noted that masks were required in the airport though many people I saw were not wearing them. Also there were only announcements. No signs. So if you were deaf, I guess you wouldn’t know. Anyway there was no visible enforcement.
On the airplane, masks are required and there were all kinds of threats of being thrown off the plane if you didn’t wear one. But I saw many people not bothering to cover their noses and some had the thing simply draped across their chins. No one got thrown off the plane.
Two weeks ago visiting Kentucky, I saw few masks, however, in Cincinnati just 90 minutes away but light years more left politically, there were more. Here in the DC suburbs, I see many people wearing masks while walking alone outdoors or alone in their cars and virtually everyone is wearing one indoors even when not required.
I am not pointing out all this because I have any opinion at this point about what anyone should be doing. (Personally, I wear a mask if required by law or if a business owner wants me to in their place of business. If not, I don’t). Rather I am observing how ridiculous the whole thing has become. There will be people who will never leave their homes again without a mask and there will be those who will sooner be thrown off a plane than wear one. Masks have become a personal statement like what kind of jeans you wear or a famous blue raincoat.
My synagogue board recently adopted a policy that said that if you are not up-to-date on ALL CDC recommended shots, you shouldn’t come to services or enter the building. Yes, shingles, HPV and, tetanus, too. I’ll be honest, I am not sure when I last had my Yellow Fever shot (I think it was 1986). After a huge backlash of ridicule and incredulity, the board ‘delayed’ the implementation of this policy and said that you just had to have a Covid vaccine, which of course is what they should have done in the first place. Again, there is no actually checking that you actually have one so the effect either way is nil.
At one synagogue I recently visited, you had to show a vaccination card or be denied entry, and everyone including the cantor leading services had to wear a mask. At my shul everyone except the service leader has to wear one. After services, everyone exits the building and crowds on the entrance steps, masks off, and talking in each other’s faces. But the after services lunch has not resumed. I don’t know if it ever will.
Hotels, touting contactless visits, no longer clean your rooms during your stay. Of course, there are no known instances of anyone getting COVID because their hotel room was cleaned. The hotel saves a ton of money on cleaning staff and tries to make you think it is for your benefit.
My wife is on our local Town Council which is still meeting on Zoom along with all the town committees. Most of my friends who are still working are remote, but some are going into their offices or classrooms every day. There are conferences that are being held and conferences that are being canceled. Some people are getting on airplanes; others won’t leave their homes or even their cars to grab a latte. Some restaurants are still takeout only others are packed beyond the capacity of their servers.
In short, as my former boss Aryeh would say, “Everyone is making Shabbes for themselves”
And the supply chain issues! This week at the grocery store there were no white or yellow corn tortilla chips. Only blue!
Welcome to the pale blue dot: the human world as baffling as ever. Take off your raincoat (but maybe not your mask) and join the party.