I recently took an indoor training course in which I was the only one #masked. That didn’t bother me as it’s not the first time and I’ve grown quite accustomed to people’s strange looks.
What truly affected me was the sad fact that when we partnered up at the start, I was last to be picked due to my #mask.
It was clear everyone felt that if they partnered with me they’d have to mask up as well. I told the last unfortunate fellow who was forced to sit with me that was not the case, he was relieved.
Over the 2 day course I found out my new partner had already taken the same course a month previous and barely retained anything.
I was shocked by his inability to remember numbers or follow basic instructions in a timely matter. Despite this, I continuously helped him along, explaining things thoroughly through my mask. At the end he gratefully thanked me for helping him so much through the course.
Upon leaving on the last day, I overheard my former partner admitting to the teacher that since he’s had #covid (multiple times) he now has difficulty remembering things, which is affecting his studies.
So, next time you need to partner in a course don’t assume the only person masked is an incompetent fool, when it’s most probably quite the opposite.
My wife and I have managed to avoid #covid19bc thus far through maintained #masking and social #distancing. Life changed and we’ve adjusted. Masking shows our strength and resilience not our weakness.
Very useful explainer posted by @dfisman. I’m am going to try and copy and paste it over here as it’s worth sharing and reading.
Going to be a bit bloody tedious as Bluesky doesn’t seem to allow copying of text. I have to “translate” it which opens it in a web page.. where I can copy the text😔
Does anyone have a name for overcompensation relating to #ExecutiveFunction issues? Like heavy reliance on physical note taking because you'll forget what people said & to-do/planner apps so you get tasks done, clockwatching so you won't miss an appointment later in the day, trying to proactively handle all possible outcomes of an event or decision. Or is this all just #masking?
Can someone share the best mask recommendations for COVID currently? There are some pictures with in-depth test results and comparisons - can people reshare those pictures? (Trying to find them, struggling)
"When you [post] any of the disaster that is Covid, who are you speaking to? So many [posts]in this genre. All speaking to absent leadership that could fix things. So is there even a point to it, given we’re speaking into a void?
..with #Covid, we have zero chance of succeeding by just firing data & graphs at people. The most open-minded may shift their awareness a little, feel some discomfort, but the overwhelming social pressure of their lives will always win."
Appeals to authorities at this stage are in vain. #Masking at work, avoiding crowded places, air filters at home: I keep taking these measures because they protect me and my family.
Those around me are unlikely to join me now. But my actions serve as quiet public reminder of the reality of #covid.
The discourse of denial will break eventually, we cannot control how and when. This is not the time to convince others. We speak up to keep the flame alive.
So uh. Is anyone else worried about record heat driving people into heat shelters now that nobody masks anymore? Feel like that's a great recipe for infecting a bunch of elderly and vulnerable people with #covid
Do any of you when seem to have masks that you prefer to be in vs how you feel when you're alone?
For context: This weekend i had some full days playing board games with friends of mine, and noticed the "downshift" of my facial features the moment they left the house.
However i also note that i much prefer my own temperment, im more excitable, engaged and present when around close friends vs alone where im more prone to be lethargic/depressive.🧵 1/2
@EverBeyondReach I am trying to #unmask more. Yes I fall into my masks pretty easily. But I understand the harm it dies me now. I also have my son, who hasn’t learned the #masking, to measure my reaction against… at least in some situations.
My preference is to be with people I don’t have to mask with. If I must mask then I try to minimize it at all costs. Having to deal with the #aftermath of masking us exhausting.
Remember: if you're the only one #masking at an event, you might get sick, but the others are far more LIKELY to.
Better to stand out and NOT take a risk you don't have to, than go with a crowd of sheep who don't know what they're doing- or worse, know it and don't care.
“the #People’sCDC, an advocacy group that aims to raise awareness and change policy around the pandemic, is pushing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to incorporate #Covid into its #HospitalAcquiredConditionReductionProgram, which curbs funding if hospitals fail to adequately maintain standards of prevention. This would help create an expectation of #masking across #hospitals.”
@schoudaan This is an encouraging thought! But to it also seems a sort of #masking. So I like the idea of sharing with them that this behind-the-scenes #adaptation is going on, and that it does take effort. If one assumed it just came naturally then it could take a real toll and cause burnout. And if #burnout does occur, it might make management more tolerant of the need for recovery or even moderation. @FrightenedRat#ActuallyAutistic#AuDHD#workplace@actuallyautistic
@seanwithwords That sort of distinction comes up a lot in discussions of #ComingOut and #privilege. If you’re empowered to unmask then yay. But we still make choices depending on our various situations and circumstances.
I’ve been continuing to wear a N95 #mask on planes and in airports while travelling. Also at concerts. I’m feeling affirmed in this decision by the Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist, who is now in Tanzania with her family. They all wore masks on the plane. After three years escaping #COVID19, one of her family members tested positive for Covid the day they arrived — so he was already contagious while on the plane (although symptomless until after arriving at destination). https://open.substack.com/pub/emilysmith/p/hello-from-tanzania-with-covid?r=7p2cc&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
I flew back from England with symptomatic COVID-19. I didn't know it. I had taken the required (at the time) test at Boots the Chemist and got a false negative. I wore a 3M N95 mask, so I have hopes I didn't spread it to anyone. #COVID#Masking
Kids don't get Covid?
Schools are safe?
Masking unnecessary?
Think again.
Recent study indicates that 70% of all household Covid spread began with an infected child, and that this trend accelerated when schools reopened, and declined during summer vacation.
Just checking in on the #Ottawa#COVID situation, via wastewater test results. This graphic last updated on May16.
We're in better shape than most of last year (2022) but there's still more measurable virus around than Feb/Mar '22 – so caution still seems warranted.
So yours was
the only masked face
at the office
and in the store
on the subway
and in the waiting room
at least now you know the answer
to your teacher’s question
of if you would be willing
to do the right thing
even if you
were the only one doing it.
"I haven’t known anybody who has contracted covid in 18 months."
Consider yourself lucky! I know a dozen in the last year, at least three at work, and I live in California where we all try to help keep each other safe, including talking about it so people think.
"wtf are ye doing to get infected? I’ve never once had covid..."
I wear as mask and have a HEPA filter at my desk at work. Haven't caught Covid or the flu since 2019. But that's me.
If you'd spent time reading about it, you would know many people are symptom free (about 10%?) even when infected, possibly able to infect others. About 10% get serious symptoms, but even with antivirals can experience symptoms for months afterwards.
You're lucky. Please don't assume your experience is average or typical. That's a cognitive bias.
Older people, convalescing people, and immunocompromised aren't lucky when they catch it.
OC Methods for masking (cutting out) objects
(Moving over one of my reddit comments)...