I live in a highly vaccinated area and I swear nothing has changed. We just found out another neighbor is moving out of the state. What’s life like around you? Have things lifted a bit?
ETA- our zip code is >95% of vaccinated 12 and over. I’m still standing outside wearing a mask at pickup. Over it.
I live in low vax area where COVD is rampant and hospitals are full. I'm thankful my 8yo is fully vaccinated. Very little has changed for us except we take her into stores with us now.
Schools have been mask optional since August. The school year started with over 50% of students wearing one. Now it's pretty much 0%. We had an in person choir concert last week, school parties this week, and sports are in full swing (and have been since May of 2020 really).
Vaccination rates are not super high. I don't expect them to get much higher than about 70%. However we had our big surge in August/September and cases are still low at the moment. Hospitals are not overwhelmed. We will see what happens.
I live in a redder-than-red area, where people have basically been pretending that COVID doesn’t exist for the last year plus. Vax rates are low, school stopped keeping track of cases, and all county dashboards have been suspended, so I assume the numbers are high but can’t actually check them.
Post by goldengirlz on Dec 13, 2021 15:25:29 GMT -5
I live in an area with high vaccination rates and low covid rates. We still have a mask mandate, and in the city, you need to show your vaccine card to dine indoors, go to the gym or attend an event.
Otherwise, life is fairly normal. My office is still a ghost town and so is downtown and the major tourist areas. But in the suburbs, it’s more or less the same. Most gatherings are still outdoors, but then again, it’s California so that’s not really a problem.
I like this balance. I feel like we’re doing a good job here and people are taking this seriously while still living their lives. I don’t mind masks that much and we don’t wear them outdoors unless required on school property.
Highly vaccinated area, and things are cautiously normal amongst known vaccinated friends but people are still pretty wary of the public. So, movie night at someone's house, everybody is game. Going to the movies, about half of people wouldn't be into that since there will be intermittent masking and likely some unvaccinated.
I'm back to traveling for work (including internationally) so I'm not super worried about my day to day interactions since I have so little control over my workdays. So far nobody in my personal circle has caught covid but I know many people at work have been positive and I've been exposed many times. I wear kn95 masks while traveling and while at work, as well as being vaccinated. I will be SO HAPPY when I don't need to mask anymore, I am tired of wearing those things for 12 hour days, but it seems necessary when I am onsite in areas with higher rates and lower testing availability. I've had two trips now where others in our group caught it but I stayed negative (I masked except when actively eating, they didn't except when required), we were in the same rooms and on the same flights.
I live in a conservative town in Northeast Ohio. Vaccination rates are probably less than 50 percent. For kids, it will probably not break 20 percent.
Maybe five percent of people wear masks in public places.
Masks have not been required at school since the beginning of the year.
All events are normal and there is no more limitation in size etc.
Ohio has been fairly “normal” since June 2020 aside from masks at school.
We have done what we personally can. Everyone is vaccinated and boosted (if eligible ) in my house but we don’t limit activities unless we are told someone is sick or we are sick ourselves.
Cases at the school seem steady. We always have about 10-20 in the district, but we have 4300 students.
That said, the numbers are likely highly inaccurate since people don’t test around here unless their kid is extremely ill. Testing for every cold symptom is not commonplace here and the school doesn’t send kids home unless they are distractingly sick.
I have just had to learn to live with relying on what we can do personally.
I'm in a deep blue zip code of a county that always goes blue, but also has very red rural areas, in NY. Things here definitely aren't "lifting," they're going the other way.
As of today, we are back to a statewide mask mandate regardless of vaccination status, inside all businesses that don't check vaccination status. Our new gov is really putting pressure on businesses to impose vaccine requirements, but they're so unpopular that it's effectively just a return to mask mandates. My firm (20 or so employees onsite) has a small minority of unvaxxed employees. I wish my partners were more amenable to using the state mandate as a reason to move to requiring vaccination, with exceptions for anyone who has a doctor's note for an accommodation.
We decided to let DD (6) do indoor soccer this winter because she is newly fully vaxxed as of today. Also as of today she has to wear a mask to play indoors. I am fine with it, I'm sure she's (and therefore we're) safer that way. But I'm bummed that we are here.
DS (2) is still wearing masks at daycare "all day," ... except, you know, during breakfast, snack, lunch, nap, and all the times in between that he and his toddler classmates decide they don't feel like wearing them anymore. He just went back today after finishing his quarantine (again), and I still question what the point is of toddler masks. I'm also super nervous he'll have another contact, as we count days to Christmas. I'm so anxious to get him vaccinated, and am frustrated by what feels like the industry's "meh" approach to further age groups now that school age kids are eligible. I'm very grateful that he hasn't caught covid from any of his contacts, but I'm ever so weary of asymptomatic quarantines for exposures as a working parent.
ETA: vax rates by zip code within my county range from 9.1% to 100.0%. We really run the gamut. My zip code is at 84.9% with at least one dose, 76.4% completed series.
I’m in a major east coast city. Masking indoors. High vax rate. We’re going to covid vaccine requirements for some restaurants. Everything is open; life is relatively normal.
Drive right over the boarder to the city limits and it’s no masking.
Post by starburst604 on Dec 13, 2021 16:04:10 GMT -5
I'm in MA so high vaccination rate. I'd say things seem mostly normal here and everything is open. Schools are still masking but some are starting to look into lifting that once they reach 80% vaccination. To attend most large crowd events like concerts and sporting events you have to show a vaccine card or recent negative covid test. There are some cities doing indoor mask mandates but not many and it's optional in most stores. A lot of workplaces are having people go back into the office to some extent after the first of the year. I know our positive rates have gotten higher like they did around this time last year, but I'm honestly not paying close attention anymore. We've been going out as usual since the restrictions lifted and we haven't really adjusted our habits at all. We feel confident that we'll be ok should we get Covid (and I already had it a year ago without issues). We're all as vaccinated as we can be at this point. If things go south and things shut down again we will do what's asked of us as we did before but I cannot obsess over this and question every move we make any longer.
As a Democrat, I have appreciated living in a "purple" area of a blue state during COVID (San Diego County). I may feel differently if we were immunocompromised or had specific considerations, but I am still angry that we closed playgrounds and beaches for as long as we did, and that it took us so long to open elementary schools. Now I think our area has a good balance - strict mask rules indoors at school but not outside, and a high vaccination rate. I'd be happy to not have to mask my kids, especially the preschooler, but I understand why the rules are still in place. I still wear a mask in stores but many/most people are not. There are vaccination requirements for many things, and I'm fine with that.
We also have had a lot of neighbors move to red states. Not just because COVID, but also taxes/cost of living if they can work remotely.
We have had a mask mandate indoors for the majority of the pandemic. Except for the few months in the beginning most do not mask outside except maybe in the city/ crowds.
School is back in person. Last year was e-leaning and hybrid for way too long.
The social aspects are the hardest. Mostly playdates outside unmasked. A few birthday parties have started up completely masked- no food served (unless they are outside).
We did a tween hangout area in our basement which I would like to start having masked hang outs for the kids. DH is against masks in our house, but I think especially with Omicron coming that I would like to have it, so we need to have some conversations to that end.
I am in a purple state in the South where we have been fairly normal except for indoor masking since May of 2020. My ds goes to private school so he has been in person since Aug. 2020. All of his activities have been going since May 2020. We have been dining inside since May of 2020 as well. We have travelled quite a bit but have not flown. County is 85% with at least once dose of vaccine. Masking now is probably less than 50% even though it is still in effect. All school activities are normal in 2021- including sports, concerts, plays, clubs etc. No vax card requirements, never any outdoor masking (that seems crazy to me!).
I'm doing what I can in a red county in a purple state that just went to a R Governor.
Our local boat parade ended up on the washington post because the boat that won best in show had lights saying FJB and Let's Go Brandon. Yesterday I happened to go past a friend's IL's house who have signs out front saying things about Biden and Harris that are not nice. (FTR she dislikes her IL's a lot and does not share their political beliefs at all.)
We're vaxxed and boosted and our kid will be fully vaxxed Friday. I am thankful our friend circle is vaxxed, but I know we're the minority.
My heart breaks for the kids who don't know any better. Their parents are effectively putting them in danger by saying COVID is a hoax and not vaccinating them. Our population is going to be severely affected by this for at least 2 generations if not more.
OP, does your city require masks outside? I live in a very blue area/state but even we aren’t masking outside any longer.
Nope! Only required 500+ outdoor gatherings. Preschool policy (pickup/drop off is now outside + mask). I will get glared at if I don’t wear one to elementary school pick up but I don’t think officially it’s required. Kids have to double mask for music class. Optional for recess. I’m fine wearing masks indoors. In our county we have to be vaccinated (or negative covid test) to eat in restaurants or go to gyms.
87% of my town is vaccinated per eligible population. Masks are worn indoors but not outside. This time last year, there was a town wide mask mandate inside and outside, so I’m glad that lifted. Kids are still wearing masks at school.
We were invited to a birthday party last weekend (outside) and everyone in my son’s class attended. We were invited to an indoor and masked party this weekend and only about half the class attended. I think most people are still avoiding indoor activities.
DH and I have gone to indoor dining. We do not take DS because he is 4 and unvaccinated. I will go to my office starting next month on a weekly basis and resume taking public transportation.
Life is definitely not back to normal but definitely not like it was last year either.
I live in south Carolina. Things are normal and have been for a long time.
55% are fully vaccinated. Masking is hit or miss other than at schools where they are mandated in our district. Cases aren’t bad right now *knock on wood*.
Post by thebreakfastclub on Dec 13, 2021 18:36:36 GMT -5
I live in a blue county in a purple state. My husband and I just got boosters. We both WFH full time.
My son is masked in elementary school, he is fully vaxxed and reports most of his class is talking about getting their shots. Masks will be optional but suggested in January.
I don't know any vaccine statistics of my area. About 60% of people in stores seem to wear masks. My job requires proof of the vaccine to be unmasked in the building.
For us, the threat of covid is pretty much over. I will continue to mask indoors in public places probably until summer.
I live in Seattle and honestly we should ease back restrictions, setting aside Omicron for the time being. On-site extracurriculars should be back (with masks I guess), vaccinated family members should be allowed to volunteer at school, I should be able to go to spin class without a mask (but with proof of vaccination), offices should require proof of vaccination but otherwise be back to normal. Maybe large offices and retailers should require masks but eh.
We've fully vaccinated 86% of adults here, weighted towards older adults. We've eliminated around 93% of the mortality risk at a minimum. The hospitals are not filling up. If you haven't gotten your shot yet I'm sorry I think that's on you. We've tried asking nicely, we've tried giving away stuff, we've tried yelling, we've tried requiring it. It's time to send everybody a crate of kf94 masks and move on with life. We'd save more lives by banning cars and making people take mass transit + walk/ride bicycles everywhere instead.
My guess is that stuff will ease up in April -- the 1 year anniversary of universal availability here, plus a reasonable guess at when 2-4yos will be able to get their shots -- but if it doesn't and the health situation is roughly where it is now, I'm gonna be pissed.
niq we are on the other side of the lake from you. The bar keeps moving. I thought everyone moving to Idaho were crazy but I’m kind of envious at this point.
Post by timorousbeastie on Dec 13, 2021 19:56:40 GMT -5
Judging by people’s behaviors around me, COVID apparently doesn’t exist anymore. Never mind the fact that cases are out of control and hospitals are at or very near capacity (or in some cases exceeding capacity). Vaccination rates are low overall; we seem to already be plateauing at ~11% vaccinated for 5-11 year olds. Masks are rare in school or anywhere else.
The only thing that has changed for my faith is that now that DD is fully vaccinated, she is able to go more places (Target, small birthday party). I still almost exclusively use curbside pickup. We will all continue to mask pretty much everywhere indoors for the foreseeable future given the high transmission rate.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Dec 13, 2021 19:58:37 GMT -5
I'm actually as comfortable with how things are going here as I think I could be.
Schools were hybrid all last year, but most of the year was 4 days in person, 1 at home. School has been masked required this year (for all levels) regardless of vaccine status. If your kid is home sick, they need a negative test/proof of completing quarantine to return. MOST indoor things require masks and proof of vaccination, and the ones that don't are things we're ok still avoiding. Outdoor things are not masked, so things that are big crowds we still avoid unless it's like something my kid is participating in, and then we wear masks even though only about 20% of others do. Our adult vaccination rates are good (I think it's like 80%), but our teen and kid rates are not.
I feel like here, people who want things to go back to normal can do many normal activities and then grudgingly wear a mask the places that require them. And the people who are still being cautious can pretty easily avoid the things all those other people are doing, but find enough safe stuff to not feel like we're stuck at home alone.
I live in an area that is about as vaccinated as the country as a whole. They have been saying our hospitals are overwhelmed for a few months, but not like 100% capacity. There’s still a few hundred beds available and around 100 ICU beds. Kids have to mask at school. Some counties have reinstated mask mandates including mine and the one I work in (that said very few places are actually enforcing so most places have a high proportion unmasked, which honestly is how I roll, I’m vaxxed to the gills, my kids are vaxxed and low risk anyway, DH is vaxxed and boosted and we are most likely not going to take up a hospital bed should we get covid so frankly I’m done with it). The county in between us doesn’t have a mandate so we just go there more often. Masking outside was never really a thing here so it’s still not. Most people are living life normally (outside of the mask mandates). But most people have been living life mostly normally around me for most of this year anyway. Our governor (Democrat) said this weekend that the emergency of the pandemic is over, he will not reinstate mask mandates and he said public health cannot tell you what to wear, he’s generally opposed to mandates and essentially if you didn’t get vaccinated and get sick too freaking bad for you, it’s your own damn fault (paraphrasing, but that’s the gist).
Post by Velar Fricative on Dec 13, 2021 20:19:48 GMT -5
Pretty happy with life. I'm in NYC where basically everything except breathing requires vaccination. Not really, but a lot of stuff requires it. So even with New York State's indoor mask mandate that went back into effect today, it's only mandated in places that don't require vaccinations, so the only thing that changes for many people in the city is they have to put a mask back on when they do things like grocery shop (I never really stopped, so it feels like nothing changed).
The only thing I wish we'd let up on is allowing kids to unmask when they're outside for gym or recess. Hopefully that happens soon. But they don't seem to mind masking in general - they're so happy to be among their friends and seeing them high-five, wave to or hug their friends during dropoff/pickup is really heartwarming.
Otherwise, NYC has a 90% adult vaccination rate and while kids can be higher, I'm not concerned. I do love that I can afford to be very selective with who I choose to hang out with because at this point, if you're an unvaccinated adult here you are in a very small minority and also very likely batshit crazy and I wouldn't want to hang out with you anyway. This would be a lot harder to do if everyone around me weren't vaccinated unless I wanted to continue living like a hermit.
NYC is hopping more than ever during the covid era but we're still not where we were pre-covid in terms of tourism, the economy, etc. The exodus ended up being much smaller than expected. A lot of people are still mostly working from home. I've been going to my office for work as much as possible since late June 2020 and it's been great going full-time now that the kids are in school full-time.
Like Susie I’m in NY and here we go again with the mask mandates. As much as I understand the thinking behind it, my anxiety is so high going anywhere with ridiculous, non-compliant people everywhere. I started grocery pick up back up again tonight. I don’t know what our vaccination rates are in my county, but our county executive declared mask mandate before the state did, soooooo. Aside from a brief time in summer school for vaccinated people, masks have been required at school for all.
niq we are on the other side of the lake from you. The bar keeps moving. I thought everyone moving to Idaho were crazy but I’m kind of envious at this point.
Not sure I'd go the far
Overall I think Western WA has done really well, things are just a bit more cautious now than if I ran the zoo. I just hope it ends soon-ish.
I’m in niq’s area and I’m over it. My zip code is 92.6% vaccinated for the TOTAL population, yes, that includes under 5 that can’t get vaccinated yet. Masks are frustrating that everyone wears them outside and you get looks of you’re not wearing one, but the thing that has us seriously considering moving is that so many services and programs closed at the start of the pandemic and have no plans on reopening.
Post by Patsy Baloney on Dec 13, 2021 22:41:32 GMT -5
Red part of a blue state. Vax rates are moderate. Not sure about kids. Masks indoors, none outdoors, stuff is relatively back to normal. Schools are still masked (yessss suck it flu season, lol). Still some larger sanitation directives/activity restrictions here and there, but not life-altering.
I feel like I can do this for the foreseeable future, with eyes on the prize if returning to normal sooner rather than later.