Intermittent masking is harder than I expected

Before I say anything else:

Yes, I still mask in public indoor spaces and crowded outdoor ones. For me, masks are easy to wear and seem to work. No, my reasons for masking aren’t things you need to worry about. No, I don’t ask that folks around me wear a mask. Yes, I know that my “you do you and I’ll do me” attitude toward masking does not reflect the way infectious diseases work, but it does reflect the way our society works, so there it is. Yes, I know living in California makes all of this much easier. I don’t know if I would still being meeting friends in parks and eating outdoors at restaurants, for example, if I still lived in Boston, Chicago, or Texas, where the weather makes being outside impossible / life-threatening for a good chunk of every year. Masking every day for work was easier than whatever this is

One of the things that surprised me about going on leave from my public middle school library is how much harder masking is now that I’m no longer doing it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in a space where my role is both well-defined and valued. I thought I’d be relieved to go back to only having to mask every once in a while, but it turns out intermittent masking as Random Community Member is much more emotionally and cognitively draining than wearing a mask to work every day. At my public middle school, my N95 was just part of my work uniform, like my school ID which I wore slung on a lanyard around my neck.

But now that I’m mostly working from the house again, I mask much less often. Seems like it should be easier, right?

Nope. I’m constantly having to assess situations and whether or not they rise to the level of wearing a mask in the face of social pressure and side eye. (Do I really need a mask if I’m only going to be in a room with 5-8 people? What if the windows are open? What if our group is on a sheltered porch with two open walls but no wind? Is it rude to put on a mask if someone in the group starts sneezing or just too late?)

Michael and I at the 2023 Great Dickens Fair in San Francisco. The whole event was crowded & indoors, which was a shame, because the food looked yummy and was not available to go. Organizers should think about adding an outdoor picnic spot next year. (Photo: Shala Howell)So why bother?

A friend of mine asked the other day why I was still masking and meeting friends outdoors. Why bother when I’m going to catch Covid eventually anyway?

I told her that I still mask because for my family, nothing has changed. The vaccines are helpful for reducing the risk of hospitalization and death, but they don’t prevent all infections and they certainly didn’t cure the things that made Covid infections problematic for my family in the first place. Our goal is still to catch Covid as infrequently as possible, and masks and ventilation are two of the tools we use to accomplish it.

She seemed taken aback by this.

But it’s true. I still really hate being sick. I learned during the mask mandates that I can both tolerate masking and use masks to be sick less often. Colds are annoying. Flu can take me weeks to recover from. Covid is terrible. I don’t want to spend my time on any of that. Masking in high-risk situations, so far, has helped me reduce the amount of time I spend feeling terrible. Yay.

No masks needed on hikes… a definite benefit. (Photo: Shala Howell)Am I going to mask forever?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don’t know. Guess we’ll find out? Maybe one day we’ll have clean air standards for indoor spaces as well, and masking won’t be as helpful. Or maybe life will change in some other way that makes masking irrelevant — or more socially acceptable. I am not a futurist.

For now, masking seems to work for me. I hate being sick more than I hate side-eye, and I’m willing to push through the extra cognitive and emotional load it takes to keep masking. But yeah, it’s definitely harder now that I only mask sometimes.

Still, as Michael said way back in 2013, “The immune system helps those who help themselves.”

– Daddyo’s Winter Survival Tip: “Don’t Taunt the Hand Plague.” Caterpickles (11 March 2013)

On that note, the CDC says it’s a good time to wear masks again

In case you missed it, the new CDC Director Mandy Cohen released a PSA this week saying that respiratory illness level across the country is high again, and that if you don’t want to spend your holiday season being sick, you can:

Wash your handsWear a maskGet this year’s flu & Covid shotsGet vaccinated against RSV, if you’re over 60, or in certain stages of pregnancy (see your doctor for timing)Stay home, test, and seek treatment if you’re sickImprove airflow and ventilation by opening windows/bringing in fresh outdoor air, using air filters, and meeting outside when possible

That’s right. The CDC, which told us we could vax and relax until they told us otherwise, is now telling us otherwise. Specifically, they want us to consider masking in public indoor spaces until the current respiratory season with its rising wave of colds, flus, RSV, Covid-19, and pneumonia passes.

Here’s a link to the video in the only place I’ve seen it, in case you’d like to watch it for yourself. But be aware that I’ve only found it on X-Twitter so far, so if you are avoiding that place, you may not want to click through.

The CDC also has a Community Resources page that you can use to track flu, RSV, and Covid-19 levels in your area. Here’s today’s snapshot from that page for respiratory virus activity in Santa Clara County, California.

As you can see, flu, RSV, and Covid-19 are all on the rise, although for now, Covid-19 hospitalizations remain low. Fingers crossed. (Source: CDC).

Stay safe out there, and thanks for stopping by Caterpickles.

Related Links:

Protect yourself and others from COVID-19, Flu, and RSV (CDC)National Wastewater Surveillance System (CDC): Use to see track Covid levels in your stateDaddyo’s Winter Survival Tip: “Don’t taunt the hand plague” (Caterpickles)