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State loosens mask advisory
By adamg on Tue, 02/15/2022 - 12:47pm
The state Department of Public Health now says is no longer advising that fully vaccinated healthy people with no potentially vulnerable people at home have to wear a mask in most indoor locations - except everybody still has to wear a mask on public transit and in ride-share vehicles and health-care, nursing-home and prison facilities, or where otherwise required by local regulations.
Under new guidelines released today, people who haven't been fully vaccinated are still supposed to wear masks in indoor public spaces, not so much to protect themselves but to reduce their odds of spreading the virus if they have it, but, honestly, who's going to enforce that?
DPH says the new regulations reflect the fact that Massachusetts "is a national leader in vaccine acceptance, and in light of recent improvements in COVID-19 indicators."
Technically, the ability of the healthy and vaccinated to doff their masks is stated in a sort of written negative space that forces the reader to tease that out of the following paragraph:
DPH now advises that a fully vaccinated person should wear a mask or face covering when indoors (and not in your own home) if you have a weakened immune system, if you are at increased risk for severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system and is at increased risk for severe disease or is unvaccinated.
People who test positive for Covid-19 or are a close contact of somebody who tests positive, are still supposed to isolate for five days and then wear a mask in indoor public spaces for five days after leaving their isolation.
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Comments
Good
Masks in an age of widespread vaccine usage and availability at this point are largely arbitrary. Use them if you are sick or have a good suspicion to need them. Or if it is what makes you comfortable.
But we know that the basic surgical masks people were aren't all that useful after ~30 minutes or so in a closed space. And more developmentally harmful than helpful for the young kids being forced to wear them in schools.
Most of all, we all know it is a total joke having to walk 5 feet into the restaurant wearing the mask, and then take it off right away. Or watch leaders ignore their own rules they enforce upon the servant class. Apparently we only care about the working class when it is politically useful.
Time for us to move on from the ironic disregard for science some have in the hope this shit never ends due to a perverse addiction to a state of emergency and fear.
We don't know that it's
We don't know that it's developmentally harmful for kids to wear masks in schools, since there's no such evidence.
oh, get off your high horse
half of the shit you’re trying to pass off as science is actually anecdotal. literally everyone wants the pandemic to end just as much as you do.
Sad but true
This may get me razzed (especially as a COVID survivor) but yes, I think there are quite a few of people so addicted to panic porn that it blurs reality. I also think there are quite a few people so heavily invested in COVID continuing that any lightening of mandates/standards throws them into a tizzy ("NO NO NO YOU HAVE TO WEAR MASKS FOREVER!") for fear they'll lose out on prestige, power and money.
Really?
Because I'd say that there's a lot more people who seem to think that everyone is overly panicking and have been saying that since, oh, February 2020 or so.
...who in the world would this actually be? Who in the world is actually getting power or money off of pushing mask mandates?
While we’re here
Talking about irony, disregard and science, I’d say it’s pretty funny that you try to pass off a series of your opinions as science with a touch of “we know” for cover. Thanks for the laughs :)
Citation for this specific claim please
Everything is horrible
There's too much focus on Omicron and not enough focus on how to respond to future variants or pandemics.
The fact the hospital system was stretched to almost a breaking point is an indication we need more peak capacity. The fact it was hard to get a test (or even a good mask) when the case number were high is an indication there needs to be a better method of approving, manufacturing, and distributing these things on short notice.
That so many people refused the C19 vaccine (and now are refusing all vaccines) is an enormous social problem that can't be solved by a couple of local mandates.
Building codes are modified after people are hurt to prevent the same failure from happening in the future. There's not been the same revision for public health policy.
No, yes
No.
Yes.
We're still losing thousands of people every day. I don't think we're giving omicron "too much focus".
Still far from back to baseline
The Globe reports that 66 people died yesterday of COVID in MA. Last summer we were down to the teens each day. We've got a ways to go still....
My point
Instead of talking about Omicron, talk about what specific restrictions/mandates are needed when certain triggers are met, such as when hospitalization usage is above a certain level.
Well...
...the guy standing next to me in our church choir on Sunday tested positive yesterday. If we weren't all wearing masks, that might have been a huge problem. And I don't think there's much less virus out there today than there was on Sunday, so this move by the state strikes me as premature.
Declining amount of virus
Whether the amount of virus in the population is declining is best addressed by looking at the MWRA wastewater Biobot data.
Except that...
..."the population" is more than what's found in the relatively small area covered by this data.
Other than that, though, huzzah?
You mean the sewer data?
It covers almost 40 communities, so it's a pretty good measure of the "population" of Eastern MA.
And by small area
You mean a decent chunk of the population of Massachusetts, but not the rural hamlet where you live.
You should bring this up at the next town meeting. See if they can get a contract to check the sewage, assuming that people aren't all using septic systems.
John? Is that you?
If you're not Costello, you two should definitely get a room. What a couple of pissants. Into the killfile you go.
Alas, no
But perhaps people who live in Eastern Massachusetts are all the same to you.
But half honestly, do you have septic, or does your hamlet have sewer lines that can be investigated to see how widespread Covid is in the area?
The new guidelines are based on flawed logic
I don't disagree that fully-vaccinated individuals at higher-risk or living with people at higher-risk from severe outcomes due to Covid-19 infection should be more cautious, but the use of surgical masks and cloth face coverings in enclosed spaces offers minimal protection to these folks. These people should wear more effective protection like well-fitted N95/KN95 respirators in enclosed public spaces. And Adam's right about "who's going to enforce that?" with respect to masking by people who aren't fully vaccinated.
You know who should wear masks?
You know who should wear masks?
People who are in the early stages of infection, about a day before symptoms show up, who don't know that they're infected yet. They are the most contagious, most likely to spread the disease to others.
What, you say, "how could anyone possibly know that they're in that group?"
Yeah, now you're catching on.
You know who didn't say anything like this?
Mass DPH.
I still say hiding under your bed while holding your breath
Is the best way to avoid the "covidbreathers"
They walk amongst us, stay safe everyone.