Post-Pandemic (?????) Monday Musings

 Is it over?

I don't know.  

But everyone around here is acting like it is.

And I don't just mean those who never acted like there was a pandemic.  I mean EVERYONE.

Stores may have around 10% masked.  In some stores, the employees are unmasked.

There are no crowd size limits.  The picture above is symbolic of the crowds to come.  Georgia and Florida already have held crowded sporting events.

Even my church, which had been super cautious, creating one of the safest environments in the area, has now gone unmasked.

And I don't even know what to say.  The CDC is indicating that vaccinated people are safe from getting or giving COVID-19.  So, it is logical that vaccinated people would not have to wear a mask. It is also logical that unvaccinated people would continue to need to wear a mask, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates (South Georgia - I'm looking at YOU).

That's great, but there is no way to distinguish who should be wearing a mask in public settings and who no longer has to.  And, for the most part, if you're so irresponsible as to not be vaccinated*, you probably haven't been wearing a mask anyway (unless forced to).

The numbers do indicate a downward trajectory.  This is across the entire nation and even Georgia.  But it is not gone.  Georgia COVID deaths remain well above 100 each week.  Ware County jogged down a month ago but now has stabilized at about 15 to 20 new cases a week.  Pierce County has dropped more, to only a handful of reported new cases each week.  There is a possibility that Pierce County just stopped counting.  I really feel like only the more serious cases were ever reported out in Pierce, that the numbers have been at least partially repressed.  

It's not only church.  I've had more organizational meetings start back up. I've looked at the social calendar for June that Alison is keeping, and it's busier than it's been in more than a year. It's making this introvert very queasy.

I've had nightmares about attending church with no restrictions, and those dreams have come true. The actuality was not quite a nightmare, but it did take some getting used to.

I've had nightmares that I tried to get back into the theater, but nobody wanted me there.

It's hard on a social introvert like me.  It takes me weeks and months to feel secure around people.  I now have to start over with that process of re-engaging with people.

People have to be patient with me.  I have to think hard about how much and how intensely I want to re-engage.

And I also have to think about whether it is really over.

I don't know.

Please continue to be as careful as you can out there.

And if you haven't gotten vaccinated yet, please do so.

*there may be a small number of people who have valid medical reasons not to take the vaccine.  I don't know what those reasons might be, but there may be a few who fall into this category.