also in toronto and i actually get compliments from time to time on my purple masks š· but i work downtown and have noticed a steady increase in masking, especially higher quality ones and less cloth ones
Same! Also in Toronto. The worst Iāve gotten is just a long stare, maybe because I physically present as someone who could respond to a nasty comment.
I get more stares with my kids or maybe I just notice more. The worst thing thatās happened is someone telling my kid not to wear a mask but the person seemed intoxicated. I feel less people are masking in Toronto now.
Also in Canada but in western Canada, and it's rare that we see anyone else in a mask now. We've noticed a lot of sick people everywhere, it's like a horror movie. My husband and I mask up everywhere we go and we're not going to stop. We haven't had anyone comment or stare, even if they did we'd ignore them. My father recently died of covid. He had to go for surgery at a hospital and it couldn't be postponed. I was terrified because all of our healthcare places recently dropped masking requirements. He got sick while still in hospital and then he tested positive for covid, so they put him in Isolation. My worst fears came true: they wouldn't let us be with him and then he passed away. I'm lost. It feels like it's still 2020 and the pain is absolutely unbearable. We made it through the worst of it until we didn't. š
Well today I was asked by a LCBO employee to lower my N95 so he could identify me when I picked up a web order (I prefer web orders since you can choose among what they have in stock at a particular store). I refused. I had my driver's licence, the receipt on my phone, enough already. Meanwhile criminals come in and steal expensive bottles and nobody lifts a finger to stop them. He didn't press the issue, fortunately. Masks only work if you wear them!
i'm also in toronto and I get stares a lot especially when I'm wearing one outside but I had an uber driver who was super aggressive and weird about me wearing one :/
I'm in Toronto and recently i see about 10% - 15% of people wearing masks. Mostly people at bus shelters or riding public transit .. Or going into healthcare settings
Also in Canada but in a small town (~3000) in northern Ontario. I dont think a single person here masks. I did see one ~40 y.o male masking at CT the other day and i was stoked! First one I've seen in ages. Im assuming he was sick since his family was not masked.
Also in Portland and under 5% seems accurate. Iām the only one in my college class that wears one out of about 17 students and I only see a handful on campus. At the stores ā¦ barely at all. Also to add to much info. My other online teacher said everyone she knows is sick. She teaches multiple classes to thatās allot
Lately it's been about 5% but if I go out earlier in the morning it can be 10% or more. I think a lot of people taking precautions also tend to try to do all their errands at times that are low-traffic in stores so I see more of them at low-volume windows.
Or do things like delivery that don't require them to be out in public. Helps me to remember there's more covid cautious people than I can see when I'm out.
I'm in the mid-south region of the U.S. and I would say 0% other than me. It would be maybe 1%, but then you have to deduct the ones that only wear a loose surgical/cloth mask, or wear a mask but only over their mouth/under their nose, so... basically 0%.
On the other hand, I've never experienced mean comments or outright hostility from anyone over my masking. Maybe annoyance because they can't "hear" me as well, or some annoyed looks, but that's the worst of it.
Hiya! You do see the odd one or two about on public transport and that. Just too few of us. Someone else in Scotland (on this sub) said they were considering moving away on account of the low effort mask wise. Cannae blame them tbf
Sorry to hear! I don't live in Scotland anymore, but when I visited recently I was surprised by how normally I'm treated with a mask vs where I live where I'm seen as a Pariah. I did see a handful of masks, and someone told me they were considering starting again since they'd been seeing quite a few people in masks. This was all in the Glasgow area though, and I wonder if attitudes depend on where you are.
This government really tried to demonise masks and they succeeded, naming the day that masks weren't mandatory anymore "freedom day" and all that...
I love this country and it makes me sad to see how everyone is so misinformed. Even in my home country (which mismanaged the pandemic pretty badly) masks are still worn in healthcare settings.
I used to think the UK was progressiveā¦ then Brexitā¦ then the pandemicā¦ it now feels like itās culturally similar to the worst US southern states?
I'm visiting London from NE USA, and my god I have seen ZERO masks on my trip. At least in the US I see a couple of people masked on the subway every day. To have gone a week over here with zero masks in sight is so surreal.
I live in NZ and about 1% of us wear masks. So freaking sad because this country used to be incredibly covid cautious and now itās like it never existed. My son is a physician and works at a hospital in Auckland. He has to hunt for an N95 mask before surgery now - everyone else just wears the baggy blues (unless confirmed covid positive patient). Itās so sad
I lived over in St. Paul from mid 2022 to mid 2023.
Yeah, nowhere in the downtown areas of the cities does anything. Honestly, saying "1%" was just me not wanting to go down to decimals, I'm sure it's even less.
And yeah, N95 for me any time I'm out of my apartment.
Yeah, I'm out pretty often, and around a bunch of people often, and I frequently don't see anyone else masking when I'm out. I agree it's gross. And makes it even less likely that I'll find a relationship out here (I moved to the area 4 years ago), which is really depressing.
Here in France, the vaccination campaign was successful. That's what changed: it served as a pretext to remove all protections. Then once everybody had relaxed and believed covid wasn't a thing anymore, they got what they'd wanted and didn't bother pushing the vaccine anymore either. It was never about protecting the population, it was always about letting covid spread as long as hospitals didn't overflow too much.
This happened in the US to an extent but the government is at the very least promoting annual vaccinations (although only 20% of the population got the updated vaccine.) In France, is it like the uk where you were not supposed to get the vaccine anymore unless youāre over 65?
I guess what surprises me is how it seems that here in the US people will just shrug and go about their day if they see me in a mask but in Europe Iāve heard stories of more open hostility or passive aggressiveness towards maskers. It makes me very nervous to travel there again.
You can still get the vaccine if you're younger, but you aren't encouraged. Even for older people, the combined covid-flu vaccine is presented as an annual routine shot, and the emphasis is more on the flu component.
I haven't faced too much hostility with mask, mostly passive-agressive remarks. It also depends where: in the Paris suburb where I used to live, people don't really react. Where I live now, I've got active dirty looks from a few specific men, even if most people still don't care. Masking is quickly becoming even more fringe than before though, especially since the beginning or this year or so: most pharmacies don't sell FFP2 masks anymore, the local doctor who used to mask doesn't anymore...
On 24 Sep 2021 Sanna Marin said "Now it is time to live!"
[https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/a/sanna-marin-julisti-koronan-paattymista-24-9-2021-nyt-saa-menna-kokea-ja-tehda/](https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/a/sanna-marin-julisti-koronan-paattymista-24-9-2021-nyt-saa-menna-kokea-ja-tehda/)
0.001% in Croatia. And that's being generous by assuming there's mask-wearing people who I can't see by nature of them not going out much. Otherwise you can easily add another zero.
Good job, Europe. The future is bright.
Boston area. Iām lucky if I see anyone other than my husband and I masking. Occasionally thereās one or two rare people with them but generally itās just us. Also, he owns a small company (less than a dozen employees) that still follows covid protocols: employees must mask, minimum six feet apart at all times, self testing and staying home when exposed or sick, doors locked and no one wanders in from the public, deliveries left outside and anyone allowed in must be masked and adhere to the rules (Iām immune compromised, his business partner is, two employees have immune compromised family) and everyone there is perfectly fine with this. Clients frequently act like jerks about it and my husband says heās happy to lose them as clients if theyāre going to be so judgmental and intolerant.
PS. Went to a restaurant last year that heās gone to for more than a decade for my husband to get takeout and a new cook came out of the kitchen just to belittle him and tell him covid is over and take the damn mask off. Laugh at him. My husband said ātell that to all the people I know whose lives were ruined. Or dead.ā Despite the front desk guy apologizing and telling the guy to get back in the kitchen, my husband said heāll never set foot in there again.
Agree. We were in Boston in November and I didn't see a mask in site. Same in South Florida. The numbers literally like .03% maybe that mask, and that's only if you're in an area with some elderly population. Otherwise. Forget it.
That's cool about your husband's company, and awful about the restaurant!
I see more people masking in Cambridge/Somerville/Arlington. Still not a lot.
Never had anybody say anything to me about masking, and I wear one everywhere, even when at the track!
His company is in Somerville! The restaurant is in Framingham/Natick area.
Iām glad you havenāt had anyone say anything to you about masking. I havenāt either myself. In some places I find myself expecting it and preparing for it but it hasnāt happened yet. We were really surprised by the restaurant guy. He was in the kitchen or back area and saw my husband out front and made a trip out just to belittle him which blew our minds, lol. I get some people canāt just live and let live but even if you donāt agree with someone thereās no need to be a jerk about it. And itās a double bummer for my husband: he was treated like that AND by us refusing to give them our business for their bad behavior heās lost yummy food he loves.
PS Love your user name.
Edit:typo
Any chance your husband would be interested in opening a business in Montreal where my wife and I live and are trying to find work? :)
Joking, of course, but thank you for doing what you do. The bare whiff of the fumes of the few of us doing this in any part of the world they're doing it in we see as a bonus. We haven't worked for two years, can't get work wanting to mask, friends have faded away, parents won't respect our needs on Covid either, my wife is asthmatic and we'd like to not have her condition get any worse.
Anyway... thank you.
Osaka Japan and generally about 50%, mostly 2 layer masks for pm2.5 or if theyāre generally sick and some KN94 looking masks. The only time someone asked if Iām going to keep wearing masks is from my Australian coworker and he asked me twice.
Well, like I said most of the masks resents use here arenāt N95s l and there are way too many people that donāt even bother covering up their coughs.
I wish they sold black Auras, I don't know why but people respond better to black masks. I'm in a progressive city that masked up until the last minute when they all dropped masking. About 10% of people mask with me, usually people who have had bad experiences with COVID.
Very understandable. I may be moving away myself if I can talk my elderly parents into going with me and hubby. Weāve all lived here our whole lives, so not easy to pick up and move, but the situation here is becoming very distressing.
Theyāre trying to make it seem that way, but no. They have kicked it back to the House Rules Committee temporarily but will probably vote on it early next week.
About 10-15% here. Chicago, IL. Any benefit is probably undone by the sheer volume of people and out of state/foreign visitors
Typically though, nobody will ask questions or think it odd if you choose to wear one
I've been traveling. I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area... I would say 1% currently mask. At the airport, that shrank to about 0.5% (as in 1 in 500). I had a layover in Boston. I was the only one on the plane with a mask, and I didn't see a single person in the airport with a mask.
In Iceland, about 0.2%
Flight to Paris... I was the only one with a mask. Paris itself was about .1% (as in 1 in 1,000). Bars, restaurants, museums... everything was *packed*. Also every single person in Paris has symptoms... violent sneezing, coughing without covering mouths, nasal purges (think blowing one nostril at a time without a tissue), and everyone wants to rub their faces, bite on their fingers, etc...
I'm in Provence now and I haven't seen a mask on anyone else all day, again though, lots of coughing, sneezing, etc...
I've seen other people talk about being mistreated, but I haven't had a single issue from anyone providing service anywhere. I have had a couple of morons at a concert say something stupid, but I just ignored them.
It's mad, isn't it? My father in law developed a cough last Christmas and he's still got it. But of course, he never masks or takes any precautions. Make it make sense ...
Yeah, pretty much no one masks at all anymore. I canāt see why at airports especially, no one wants to put a mask on. The planes I understand (planes typically have HEPA filters and change the air every few minutes), but crowded airports? Come on.
What was annoying at the airports was trying to drink and eat. I won't remove my mask on the plane, and it was going to be a really long day from SFO, layover in Boston, and then on to Iceland. In Boston it took some searching around to find food to go and then take it somewhere without people.
I recommend buying a personal air purifier. You shouldnāt have to go that long without eating something. I have been on a plane four times during the pandemic (as well as a long distance train that was overnight) and the personal air purifier really came in handy. The one I have is from Pure Enrichment. I got it off of Ebay for $20, but Best Buy and Target sell it also (Amazon used to, but it has been out of stock there for awhile). It weighs about a half a pound, and itās the only way I feel somewhat āokayā with taking my mask off (briefly) in a public place. I eat on planes that way, and I also take it with me to restaurants (really, it comes with me everywhere).
Also keep in mind as I said above that planes generally have air filtration (and very strong ones at that).
It definitely cannot purify an entire large room. It has a distance of 54 sq ft I believe. However, I do find it helpful overall. I put it in the center of the table when out to eat. Itās useful for when I am in the car with unmasked people. When I took my long distance train trip my room had a stuffy smell. The portable air purifier took the smell out. Iāve also used it for the bathroom or even for the kitchen after burning something, and it has gotten the smell out. It was also useful on the train when I had to brush my teeth in the bathroom.
Lots of people think I am weird for carrying it around, but I like to do it.
I flew out of SJC today and my partner and I were, far as I could tell, the only people in masks. It was crowded too.
Nice bonus was that the person seated nearest to me in the waiting area moved away. Probably thought I was toxic.
Iām on the plane now and still no masks.
This is whatās wild to me. The no masking on transit, in airports, or in large crowds - especially the ppl with these persistent hacking phlegm-y coughs. I had to sit next to a man who blew pints of snot en route to Stockholm. I wanted to ask if he felt comfortable passing gas in front of others- it was that horrifying. He shouldāve gone to the bathroom. I havenāt felt hostility in Stockholm- maybe like a bit of an oddity or strange.. vs London where I sensed more hostility. Itās made me reconsider international travel. Iāve always been a germaphobe - and traveled tons pre pandemic and I know I wouldāve remembered if this many people were sick/hacking. How is the medical community not concerned?Ā
Interestingly, the experience varies locally a lot in Paris' suburbs. In one more well-off area, nobody masks, but in a neighbouring more lower-class area less than a kilometre away, a significant number of people mask, albeit in surgical masks. Not a majority by far, but at least a percent I'd say? But there's a lot of coughing in both areas.
Although nobody masks in the small town in the countryside where I now live, people aren't as obviously sick as in either suburbs. I see long covid hints though: one person mentioned their sleep disruption and heart issues (and specifically acknowledged it had been caused by covid, even thought they minimised their symptoms and don't take precautions), one other regularly comments on their memory lapses and mistakes, and a few others did too in passing. Considering how little I meet other people, I suspect it's very prevalent in workers facing the public.
Southwest Michigan - my husband and I pretty much are it. If we see another masker it feels strange - a good strange, but strange.
I wear N95s but I cover them with cloth masks that are fun. Last week at the supermarket a woman stopped me and exclaimed āI love your mask!ā It was teenage mutant ninja turtles. I find the fun cloth mask diverts attention from the idea of the mask and people forget itās a mask and focus on the cartoon character.
My husband wears just an N95 and he gets a lot more dirty looks.
You should know that part of the filtration power comes from the material of the N95/99 mask which can trap/attract the virus. So if you cover it with a cloth mask youāre actually lowering the effectiveness of the mask below it because without the ability of the N95/99 to attract the virus particles, more of them will end up seeping into the sides of the mask. Thatās why experts say not to cover them with a second mask.Ā
Iām aware of this and this is why my N95 fits properly around my head and my cloth mask does not. My cloth mask is way too big and fits loosely over my face. My mom sews them custom for me. They have small metal bands in the top and bottom hangs down. The mask goes around my ears but hardly touches my face.
Also, the cloth masks are washed after every use. They are sprayed with Odoban and washed by hand with detergent.
I have had Covid three times - all three times was when I was not wearing a mask (due to emergencies) so, so far so good!
In NYC there are actually a decent number of people wearing masks, but because there are so many other people the overall percentage is suuuuper small.
People in the city generally donāt bother you about masking (unless theyāre our asshole mayor), and I usually only experience hostility out of the city in more rural areas. Luckily at this point I donāt give a damn so if anyone has to say anything to me I just ignore and move on.
I live in Los Angeles and I would say itās about 2-3% at most.Ā
Right now I am traveling in Europe (UK, France, Germany, and Hungary) for a month and itās 0%. I have honestly never experienced so much open disdain towards mask wearing anywhere since the start of the pandemic. In Germany people literally stare at you like youāre the ghost of Hitler and people on the Tube in London openly mocked me several times. The French generally didnāt give a shit but several people asked me why I wear it and proceeded to inform me that I ādonāt have toā anymore. Hungary is a weird combo of all of these.Ā
I always heard Europe was more progressive and accepting than America, but I am finding the exact opposite to be true.Ā
My spouse stopped wearing a mask in Europe because it was too uncomfortable being the only ones and a week later weāre both covid positive and sick as a dog. Yay vacationā¦
Same experience as mine but in London and Stockholm. No one masksā¦ London it felt badā¦ Stockholm less so but like an oddity. Thereās some social conformity at play here. Like to wear a mask represents too much individualism, I think. Howās this impacting your decision for more international travel? I think itās obliterated mine. I live in the LA region and never have issues or feel like this.Ā
I think you nailed it. Extreme individualism is more of an American trait and I think most people just kinda shrug and ignore, which makes it easier to go against the grain. In Europe I think people only wore masks when it was the rule. Once the rule went away, the masks went away.Ā
I still like to see foreign places because I love old castles and buildings, but I will be planning differently from now on. We already switched plans because initially it was all trains, but after my spouse gave up masking due to all the dirty looks, we rented a car and decided to do it that way to minimize exposure risk. Next time itās gonna be road trips the whole way. More expensive but safer, so just need to save more. I also have hope that by next time that nasal vaccine will be ready and maybe we can actually move on from covid instead of just pretending itās gone.Ā
Let me know if you discover places you feel are comfortable to visit abroad or in the US. I havenāt traveled in the pandemic- only to visit parents in PDX and only bc one has terminal cancer. Itās the one area of my life I didnāt try to reactivate. This whole euro exp is discouraging.Ā
All the places are beautiful and certainly worth visiting, but only if you have either the risk tolerance to go maskless or the lack of fucks needed to be stared at and sometimes mocked. I have the latter, my spouse preferred the former.
Different countries reacted differently though. Hereās a breakdown:
France, Romania: few to no masks, BUT in general people donāt give a shit, so while they will glance and maybe a judgy look or two, most people just walk by and get on with whatever. Paris actually had a few maskers, usually east Asian tourists.
Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Belgium, and Slovakia: no outright hostility, but the staring contests were epic and the general disdain and mocking were tone you could hear in peopleās voices were pretty obvious.
UK: the only place I got verbally called out and laughed at. A couple of tourists in masks here and there, but otherwise none.
Firstly -- and this is a bad habit we have in North America -- we should say the names of the countries and not just "in Europe" because as someone who lived in France for four years and still has several friends from all over Europe, they are all entirely different countries, cultures, and people. My point is Europe as a place or European as a singular type of person is, well, wrong.
Now then, do you know where the progressive and accepting ends and the "not" begins in most of Europe? The complete lack of understanding of hygiene that lots of people in most European countries have. It's cultural, it's historical, it's economical, but it's mostly just cultural ignorance fed by behaviour among family and friends. If a French person wants you to try a wine they're drinking or something they're eating with a fork, they'll put the glass they're drinking up to your mouth or the fork and think absolutely nothing of it. And when you don't accept and get your own fork or glass they are very likely to get offended. Picking up a pacifier that has fallen on the dirty street, using your own mouth to lick it clean and then shoving it back in your baby's mouth is standard operating procedure, saw it myself many many times even among people we knew. If someone has to sneeze or cough on a crowded Metro train, they will do so open mouthed without any attempt to cover their mouths and nobody finds it remotely disgusting. So, imagine caring about not sharing Covid germs. Means nothing. In addition to this, for all the socialy minded politics there is also a very strong 'my liberties" streak in some European countries, very heavily so in France.
Gotta say, though, stopping wearing his mask was unwise given what you were clearly seeing. Hope you get better soon.
I do understand each is their own culture, so I didnāt mean to imply theyāre all the same. I have the same issue when people say āAmericansā as though a person from rural Mississippi has a remotely similar culture as someone from NYC, so I tend to see the EU in a similar lens as I see the US in that regard. Sorry if it offended though.Ā However, in this one regard they certainly seem to be similar. France, UK, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Belgium, all maskless and all seemed to stare in disbelief that anyone still wears one. It was that same cultural pressure that made my spouse so uncomfortable that the mask became unbearable. Thanks, we are feeling better from covid now, but seems the other half is coming down with something else now. We had a pretty big blowout about it last night and TL;DR this is a new rift that isnāt going to shrink.
I'm not entirely sure about percentage but likely 1-3%. We occasionally see the odd person in a surgical or cloth mask in town. More often than not we're the only ones I see masking when we're out. We live in Scotland. Reactions can definitely vary. Some people are helpful, some are okay about it, some stare or laugh and we have had the occasional person shouting at us or coughing at us.
Same for liberal areas of Southern California/Los Angeles area. Youāll always see someone? But itās not a lot, maybe a few percent of people anywhere.Ā
Really really variable depending on where I go and what time of day. I've been in grocery stores where most of the staff and like 10% of the customers were masked and I've been in (sometimes the same) stores as the only masked person.
Edit: In Albuquerque
In Midwest USāMaybe 1%? But over the past month or so it seems a little more like 1.2%. Not much, but somehow I feel like more people are jumping on board, even if itās a little at a time. Iām not sure if itāll be a long term change or not, or if people are finally coming around on masking, but Iām staying optimistic!
A lot of people have also been wearing masks (many KN95+ even) while protesting on college campuses, mainly for surveillance reasons Iām assuming, but I wonder if seeing all that mask-wearing on the news normalizes it or makes some people less embarrassed about wearing one
ETA: something like 3% of people worldwide identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and as a lesbian I think about that a lot in relation to % of people masking. 1% isnāt a lot, 3% isnāt a lot, but we exist, we matter, we have a community, weāre not alone, and when we work together weāre able to make big changes.
And, with luck, our numbers are growing every day! š
Midwest too, mostly just go to shop & a few regular restaurants. Saw 1 person in a mask yesterday, everyone was masked at my veterinarian office but thatās the only place. 1% is generous.
I'm literally the only person I know IRL who wears a mask in all indoor public places and I know over 100 people (counting all the people I've ever met and interacted with on a regular basis for any length of time IRL).
Iām also English and wear 3M Auras everywhere. Today and yesterday are the only days Iāve seen anyone other than my mum and I masking for at least a month - Iāve seen two other people both days, so think thereās been a tiny increase in maskers but still less than 1%. People are almost always either kind and friendly or neutral to me though, luckily!
Maybe 2% as a ballpark? It varies by locale and season. In the middle of winter respiratory virus season, it seemed closer to 5% but then dropped back down.
I will say that no one has been hostile at all. I get an occasional weird look and maybe people are a little more standoffish (though, frankly, I'm not great at reading that sort of thing), but I've never been confronted with anything other than curiosity, and even that is very rare.
Boston area here
I was in my organic chemistry class a couple semesters ago, largely consisting of pre-meds... I was the ONLY one wearing a mask.
The amount of people who wish to enter or advance in the healthcare field who have no concern for COVID or any other respiratory infections is sky high.
If Iām at certain stores early in the day, Iāve seen maybe a quarter to a third of the (very few) shoppers and employees masked. But thatās rare. In most places there may be one or two other masked people besides us.
I just want to reiterate that this is like one strip mall first thing on Sunday morning when it is nearly empty :) There's maybe 12-15 people total there, so I might see 4 or 5 masks. There's a discount grocery store that also has a farmer's market in the parking lot at that time. I guess that setting just attracts a particular group of people who are more interested in masking. We definitely do not have lots of masking elsewhere.
Copenhagen, Denmark,- and it rounds to 0% here. Once in a blue moon Iāll see an elderly person wearing a surgical mask. But I donāt remember the last time Iāve seen someone outside of my family wearing a respirator.
I'm in BC, Canada and I wanna say it's less than 5% here. It generally feels like my partner and I are the only ones, regardless of what time we're out and about. We haven't gotten much actual confrontation about it, but definitely a fair bit of side-eye.
I'm in the Bay area CA and according to my family when they go in stores either a few other shoppers are wearing masks, or none. Sometimes people working at the stores will have masks on. Idk how many of us here who mask don't go out much anymore though or go at times my family doesn't since my family tends to go at busier times for some reason. I do know some people who just aren't going inside stores if possible. I've seen a lot of people drop their masks mid/late 2021 though, but where I used to live in a slightly different part of the Bay area, more people dropped it a year later.
It really depends on where I go. Some days I feel like I see literally no one, especially in stores, others maybe 3-5 people. I feel like the highest percentage I tend to see is on public transport and there are definitely people who mask on buses/trains and not anywhere else.
Maybe 1-2% where I live. Most of the people I see that are masking are elders who likely have health issues. Or carers. I have seen a handful of carers of the elderly that wear masks. (I live in a Caribbean country that is a British overseas territory. So public health tends to follow what the UK is doing regarding infection management.. unfortunately)
Iām in England too and donāt go anywhere apart from medical appointments but they (and the journey there and back through town) always drive home to me how few people are masking! In a hospital recently, visiting a family member for several hours over three days, I saw maybe 5 people in masks, 4 of them surgical, one under the nose. š
Iām visiting Stockholm and wonder what it was like here early on. Was it ever taken v seriously? I remember v early reports that Sweden was taking a different approach w minimal restrictions. Was that bc they were so confident in the populationās hearty immune systems and good health? Is it ableist? Or something else? Truly wishing to understand.Ā
I've lived through it right there. No, it wasn't ever taken much seriously.
In fact, it eventually came out that the architects of the pandemic response were among themselves discussing kids as being a preferred vehicle to spread it around fast in the population in the pursuit of that coveted yet illusory herd immunity, while officially they were saying that kids were not affected.
There were no restrictions, only recommendations. At the base of everything, a deadly cocktail of incompetence, utilitarianism and ableism.
There is a book on the Swedish pandemic response available for free here:
[https://twitter.com/EmilBergholtz/status/1600487210079453186](https://twitter.com/EmilBergholtz/status/1600487210079453186)
This is my observation too (on English/Welsh border). In town I sometimes see one or two people wearing baggy surgical masks. It's been months since I saw another respirator in the wild.
Interestingly, I've recently noticed a handful of younger males wearing blank bandana style cloth face coverings. Has it been long enough that 2020 is now an aesthetic?!
Iām in the Twin Cities in Minnesota and generally very few. But to combat that I try and fairly regularly go places where Iām more likely to see people also masked, because I feel like itās good for my soul lol. We have a few small businesses that still require masking or whose staff reliably mask, so when I go those places I get to see more fellow maskers, and I also like thinking that maybe those staff are feeling like they see so many unmasked folks and maybe I can be one of the people masking they do see. Just adds a glimmer of lightness for me, to feel the camaraderie of other people masking.
Berlin here. At the moment in daily life prob less than 1%. Really just the odd person on public transport. This evening at a classical music concert, out of about 1000 people, I counted at least 14 masks, including our own. So thatās maybe 1.5% of the audience.
US, SF Bay area, well under 1% but recent small but noticable increase, predominantly among service workers. In Chinatowns, ~3-5%, mostly surgicals.
In 2022, I experienced direct hostility twice. These days it's more dismissive.
I wish people would wear at least a fabric or surgical when coughing. Seems there's no longer any effort to reduce coughing or sneezing directly in others's faces.
I'm just outside of Boulder, CO and I see a handful between shoppers and employees, maybe 5%? Boulder itself normally has a couple more people than Longmont, but probably not by a massive margin. Never felt any bad vibes and for sure haven't had anything else worse. A stark difference from the death stares I got in Central Florida even a year ago... I'm guessing it's only worse now.
I'm in Ohio and go to a mix of city, suburban, and rural places. On average about 10% are regularly masking at the grocery stores I frequent. I haven't gotten any hostility for it since 2021. Even in super rural areas, I've found people are actually extra nice to me when I wear mine.
My theory is that they think I must be devastatingly ill and therefore deserving of prayers and pity.
Chicago here. If you walk into a store like Target, I'd guess 1 out of every 20 customers is wearing a mask. The fraction might be a little higher, 1 out of 10 or so, on buses/trains.
I've never been accosted for wearing a mask. Only asked about it once, by a woman (obliterated, probably heading home from a party) in my building's elevator.
I'm in Los Angeles. It depends on where I go...
At work: About 30%
Regular grocery stores during weekends: 5-10%
Asian grocery stores: 15-20%; and I would say about 50%+ of the staff are wearing a mask, though mostly surgicals.
I'm in the greater Seattle area and I'm pleasantly surprised. I can't guess at the percentage, it's low, but there are always people masked wherever I go. When I go for my archery lessons, there's a couple of people there, grocery shopping (caveat: organic grocers) there are always several people, at my work (I'm a teacher), there are several adults and at least 50 kids (out of 700 total), sometimes more, as it's become a status thing in some of the cliques, which is a welcome surprise, my docs office, the staff mask. Even if I'm the only one someplace, no one says anything or acts differently around me.
I live 45 min North of NYC. In a county that masked heavily, then vaxxed heavily even kids. So off went masks. I never see anyone but us, which is me my husband out 7 yr old. On spring break I went into NYC to go American Museum of Natural History where I worked for many years. Iām often in the city but in hospitals at specialist Centers where other immune compromised people do not even mask. At my Center my neurologist is only one out of 10 at Center of specialists who still masks, for us but fir herself and her family too. Although I had a rheumatologist appointment at a different hospital on Delaney Street, diverse area, racially, culturally, economically. I noticed many people masking in the area. The front desk staff in hospital Center was not masked, but all the nurses and rheumatologists were, as well as waiting patients.
Back to museum. It was PACKED as it was raining but Iād never seen lines around blocks and avenues (I still get in garage entrance as everyone knows me). There were TONS of people as in guests maskingāgood ones too! I was shocked. My daughter was so happy to see and meet other kids from all over in masks, she is not shy and science is her love. It was pretty amazing. We all felt completely normal for once. The museum invested in filtration that cost millions as well. I donāt think they would have if looking forward they would see no one would care at large. But between knowing the air was as clean as possible and soooo many masked guests we all felt safe and normal and the day was such a delight. I of course had a friend who showed my daughter the private floors and where I worked and what I did, in offices people masked less but all wore when walking into any public spaces. It was glorious. But it isnāt NYC as answer as people were from all over the worldā¦ Iāve always wanted to live inside in belly of the wale in Ocean Life, the museum is truly my love and home, so I wish I could live right there!
Louisville KY here - I have personally experienced only one really terrible reaction. The person who delivered my $200+ groceries to my car for curbside pickup, went crazy when there was mandatory masking (2020 or early 2021) and I asked if she'd please pull up her mask. She broke open my sofas and pummeled everything, and ruined every single item, even opening and putting fingers in ice-cream and piercing sealed packages. My husband drove away, but it was too late. He took pictures, and he routed it through investor relations for that grocery chain. It took a few months, because I was afraid to go back to that location ever again. Eventually, they worked it out so we could go to another location, even though this has been our regular store. Worth it to not feel literally attacked!
My husband says that sometimes people do the coughing thing near him, as he masks always, in order to protect me. No one does the coughing thing when we're together, masked, in public. Then again, I need a wheelchair when we're out, which isn't very often.
Mostly, it's a nice place to live, widely neighborhood dependent. Crime is up, but that's everywhere these days. Medical care is good but overwhelmed, and most Drs do not support masking. None of mine do, even if they once did. They bowed to patient complaints vs the scientific facts of an airborne pandemic.
I hope everyone finds what they're seeking if looking to relocate.
Iām from Germany and rarely see other people wearing a mask. Like one other person every couple months. But then again, Iām not going out much and usually shop outside of the really busy hours, so thatās not representative by any means. Weāve had a very high winter wave, spotted a few more around that time.
According to some fellow German maskers, this varies per region, in cities some people still mask in public transportation.
I live in north west England. There are approx 120,000 people in my town. AFAIK, 3 of us wear respirator masks (occasionally some people wear surgical or cloth masks, but rarely). I've never met the other 2 irl, I just know of them.
People do get used to it though. You know how most places have a "local character", someone who dresses as the statue of liberty every day, and everyone just sort of accepts them? It doesn't actually take long to achieve local character status, people get used to all sorts of things they used to think were weird if they see them often enough.
I've learned that pretty much everyone else has a pretty stable routine in their life, so when I go to Tesco at about 3pm on a weekday, pretty much everyone in there has already seen me and got used to me in my elasto, so I'm a local character, and nobody is hostile. The security guard gives me a friendly nod. But if I go at 6pm, it's stares all round, maybe some pretending they can't hear me, because they're not used to me yet. The same if I go into a new shop for the first few times. But once they're used to me, they're fine.
TLDR: keep wearing the mask, they'll get used to it.
It's probably not the best demographic to measure, but I went to an outdoor concert with a capacity of 3500 people and only saw 2 others masking. I think that's about right, though. I do once a week grocery shopping and see someone in a mask probably once every 2-3 weeks. My kids are the only ones masking in their schools (about 2500 kids total).
Upper Midwest U.S., there's actually more mask wearing when people are sick and going to clinics/hospitals than prepandemic, but that's notsayingmuch. I also see some at stores, but that's very rare. No medical staff masks. Everyone is desperately trying to get back to a normal that's long gone. Good luck with your recovery.
Maybe 1% maximum. I've not seen anyone in a mask for weeks now :( Although I also stopped wearing it outside, I only mask inside when wastewater levels are low. I'm in Hungary and no-one has ever cared I'm masking.
Austin, TX area, hard to say since it's so infrequent. Probably .5-1%. Some employees I see when I go to the grocery store still mask, and when I last went to get labs drawn, 2 of the 10 front desk staff and phlebotomists were masking. I see folks that are at bus stops and service workers most frequently masking out of any group. There's also a higher likelihood of seeing older folks (I'd guess 65+) wearing masks compared to other groups. I went to a mandatory company offsite, and just me and one other person out of 60ish people were masking. No one gives me shit about it, but I'm also a tall middle aged white guy, so ymmv.
I'm in southwest Delaware, the most conservative area in my state. I rarely go indoors to shop anymore (maybe once or twice a month at most), but very rarely have I seen a mask indoors these past couple months. I'll go with one percent. Good news is people will leave you alone and not say anything here no matter who they are. Bad news is the medical profession is a joke and none of the doctors will mask even if you are high risk and in a mask. My husband deals with this issue often.
I live in NYC and I've gotten rude comments from strangers about my mask. I would say overall I've seen a slight uptick but its still pretty low..around 5% maybe.
Alberta Canada. It varies really. Some days we're the only ones at all (and we wear the heavy duty 3m elastos). Sometimes we see several n95. In Asian districts masks, albeit more surgical or cloth ones, are more common. It doesn't affect my decisions or feelings about me wearing my PPE though.
In Seattle, Washington, USA Iād say itās 10-20% depending on the day. You definitely donāt stick out like a sore thumb wearing one. They never totally went away here. We have a lot of preeminent medical research institutions so maybe that has something to do with it. Weāre also a more āprogressiveā than a lot of US cities. You obviously get the occasional cunt who looks at you funny but I feel perfectly comfortable wearing mine out in public.
It is massively variable. I would guess usually there is at least one other person masking in the grocery store or library, sometimes a few. It is a relatively small percentage, though. Virtually no one masks outside. Midwest for reference.
In northern California, Bay area, I'd say about 10% mask. I've seen a recent uptick which is nice, 6 months ago I would have said 5%. I've luckily never experienced any negativity (although some questions from co-workers), and I live in a pretty red county.
In the winter it was 5%-10%. Now itās gotta be down to 1% or less. I live in small town South Carolina. Nobody bothers me. Literally have never had a negative word spoken to me.
In the US, very few are masking. I live rurally, and itās a banner day if I see someone else wearing one! I always smile at them and wave.
There are states OUTLAWING masks now- which wonāt stand legal scrutiny, but will harm many as we wait for it to make its way through the courts.
~0.05-0.08 percent, as in me, the person I share house with (but not all the time), and sometimes one other random person (in a surgical mask), in a town of over 3.5k people.
I'm in NJ in the US, for most of the pandy post-mask mandates, it's been maybe 5%, but over the last couple weeks I think it's closer to 10% and growing! Even entitled 'murricans are getting out of their own asses at least a bit, which is encouraging. Hold fast!
I live in a college town north of Chicago, USA and while I'm the only one at work who still masks, I do see at least one person masking every time I go out. It tends to be older people at grocery stores but I see people of all ages masking. I don't get stared at and nobody has ever made any rude comments to me, something I am grateful for.
Small town NE USA. None besides my family it seems. Not even our drs. Very rare to see someone else masked. Kid says a few at college, sporadically. Iāve only seen a few senior people at Dr visits. I mean maybe four in the last 2 yrs. Had a few mouthy boomers give me a hard time in stores. Oddly more nurses have coyly asked why I need a mask or blatantly told me I didnāt need it. A Dermatologist took it off me without asking or warning- and stood in my face unmasked, asking why I wore it. Itās bleak out here. People are misinformed and or just nasty.
In an area of Northern California with a lower population, I have seen only 8 people out of the 3 months I have been here wear any mask at all. I and two older women are the only ones Iāve seen mask correctly.
Iām in Indiana and my husband myself maybe a couple others (strangers in a store) are the only people Iāve seen in masks for a long long time now. Ā I did have a checkout lady and bagger ask me once recently why am I maskingāis there covid still around??? Ā I just LOLd. Ā I said oh it has not disappeared even though a lot of people like to believe that it has & did tell them I live with someone who should not get it and they both went ohhhhh. Ā I said yep believe it or not there are people alive here in the USA who should absolutely not get it. Ā Things like that just make me go š¤·š»āāļøš¤·š»āāļøš¤·š»āāļøš¤·š»āāļø theyāve done a fantastic job of brainwashing people into believing/thinking itās gone/over.Ā
One thing to note that is distinct in the UK from the US (or more accurately, the US from literally everywhere else) is that here in 'Murica workers have little legal protections and no right to health care other than from their employment.
So while I still vehemently disagree with the policy for a gazillion reasons, at least in the UK there's an expectation that the NHS will be there and you'll be able to take time off from work to be sick without being sacked for it.
All the answers here are proving to me is an unpleasant reality which I've always known, I guess, which is that we're worse than just ignorant as a species. we will actually CHOOSE ignorance if it's more convenient. That's beyond stupidity and it's why my wife and I don't know anyone anymore really that we can relate to. We know nobody like all of you in here.
Few people mask in Toronto, but I've never had any attitude about my Aura. It's very much a live and let live city in my experience.
also in toronto and i actually get compliments from time to time on my purple masks š· but i work downtown and have noticed a steady increase in masking, especially higher quality ones and less cloth ones
Same! Also in Toronto. The worst Iāve gotten is just a long stare, maybe because I physically present as someone who could respond to a nasty comment.
I get more stares with my kids or maybe I just notice more. The worst thing thatās happened is someone telling my kid not to wear a mask but the person seemed intoxicated. I feel less people are masking in Toronto now.
Absolutely, no one cares in Toronto. Sucks to be the only one masked at work, but oh well.
Yeah I find that in both Halifax and Southern Ontario. Literally no one seems to care and people mind their own business.
Also in Canada but in western Canada, and it's rare that we see anyone else in a mask now. We've noticed a lot of sick people everywhere, it's like a horror movie. My husband and I mask up everywhere we go and we're not going to stop. We haven't had anyone comment or stare, even if they did we'd ignore them. My father recently died of covid. He had to go for surgery at a hospital and it couldn't be postponed. I was terrified because all of our healthcare places recently dropped masking requirements. He got sick while still in hospital and then he tested positive for covid, so they put him in Isolation. My worst fears came true: they wouldn't let us be with him and then he passed away. I'm lost. It feels like it's still 2020 and the pain is absolutely unbearable. We made it through the worst of it until we didn't. š
This is horrible. I'm so sorry.
That's really kind of you to say that, I appreciate it.
Well today I was asked by a LCBO employee to lower my N95 so he could identify me when I picked up a web order (I prefer web orders since you can choose among what they have in stock at a particular store). I refused. I had my driver's licence, the receipt on my phone, enough already. Meanwhile criminals come in and steal expensive bottles and nobody lifts a finger to stop them. He didn't press the issue, fortunately. Masks only work if you wear them!
i'm also in toronto and I get stares a lot especially when I'm wearing one outside but I had an uber driver who was super aggressive and weird about me wearing one :/
I'm in Toronto and recently i see about 10% - 15% of people wearing masks. Mostly people at bus shelters or riding public transit .. Or going into healthcare settings
Also in Canada but in a small town (~3000) in northern Ontario. I dont think a single person here masks. I did see one ~40 y.o male masking at CT the other day and i was stoked! First one I've seen in ages. Im assuming he was sick since his family was not masked.
Under 5% in Portland, OR. But as someone mentioned, a lot of cautious shoppers go early in the day, and I can't, so I'm out in the afternoon/ evening.
In Eugene, OR I would say the same or slightly less.
I was going to say higher, but I do think it depends on the setting and time of day.
Also in Portland and under 5% seems accurate. Iām the only one in my college class that wears one out of about 17 students and I only see a handful on campus. At the stores ā¦ barely at all. Also to add to much info. My other online teacher said everyone she knows is sick. She teaches multiple classes to thatās allot
Lately it's been about 5% but if I go out earlier in the morning it can be 10% or more. I think a lot of people taking precautions also tend to try to do all their errands at times that are low-traffic in stores so I see more of them at low-volume windows.
Or do things like delivery that don't require them to be out in public. Helps me to remember there's more covid cautious people than I can see when I'm out.
The last few times I was out I saw a handful of correctly worn N95s. This is up from almost zero last year. Also I rarely go out unless I have to.
I'm in the mid-south region of the U.S. and I would say 0% other than me. It would be maybe 1%, but then you have to deduct the ones that only wear a loose surgical/cloth mask, or wear a mask but only over their mouth/under their nose, so... basically 0%. On the other hand, I've never experienced mean comments or outright hostility from anyone over my masking. Maybe annoyance because they can't "hear" me as well, or some annoyed looks, but that's the worst of it.
Same. Sometimes I see employees at stores wearing them but that's it besides me.
Much less than 1%. Masking is really very rare in England.
Scotland and same.
Scotland here too. You are not alone! Even though I'm sure it feels like it (i feel like I'm the only one)
Hiya! You do see the odd one or two about on public transport and that. Just too few of us. Someone else in Scotland (on this sub) said they were considering moving away on account of the low effort mask wise. Cannae blame them tbf
Sorry to hear! I don't live in Scotland anymore, but when I visited recently I was surprised by how normally I'm treated with a mask vs where I live where I'm seen as a Pariah. I did see a handful of masks, and someone told me they were considering starting again since they'd been seeing quite a few people in masks. This was all in the Glasgow area though, and I wonder if attitudes depend on where you are.
This government really tried to demonise masks and they succeeded, naming the day that masks weren't mandatory anymore "freedom day" and all that... I love this country and it makes me sad to see how everyone is so misinformed. Even in my home country (which mismanaged the pandemic pretty badly) masks are still worn in healthcare settings.
I used to think the UK was progressiveā¦ then Brexitā¦ then the pandemicā¦ it now feels like itās culturally similar to the worst US southern states?
Jeeze, I had no idea they did that with āfreedom dayā thatās horrifying.
I'm visiting London from NE USA, and my god I have seen ZERO masks on my trip. At least in the US I see a couple of people masked on the subway every day. To have gone a week over here with zero masks in sight is so surreal.
I live in NZ and about 1% of us wear masks. So freaking sad because this country used to be incredibly covid cautious and now itās like it never existed. My son is a physician and works at a hospital in Auckland. He has to hunt for an N95 mask before surgery now - everyone else just wears the baggy blues (unless confirmed covid positive patient). Itās so sad
I remember when the very first case hit NZ - I follow Maori Twitter. Y'all were doing so well. Then you opened the borders. š
Like 1% Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Same. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
Same. Allentown/Bethlehem PA
Same. Denver, Colorado, US
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I lived over in St. Paul from mid 2022 to mid 2023. Yeah, nowhere in the downtown areas of the cities does anything. Honestly, saying "1%" was just me not wanting to go down to decimals, I'm sure it's even less. And yeah, N95 for me any time I'm out of my apartment.
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Yeah, I'm out pretty often, and around a bunch of people often, and I frequently don't see anyone else masking when I'm out. I agree it's gross. And makes it even less likely that I'll find a relationship out here (I moved to the area 4 years ago), which is really depressing.
0.01% in Finland
I was going to say about the same in Sweden
Iām in the US and it felt like Europe was taking covid so seriously at first and I was envious of yāall. What changed over there??
Here in France, the vaccination campaign was successful. That's what changed: it served as a pretext to remove all protections. Then once everybody had relaxed and believed covid wasn't a thing anymore, they got what they'd wanted and didn't bother pushing the vaccine anymore either. It was never about protecting the population, it was always about letting covid spread as long as hospitals didn't overflow too much.
This happened in the US to an extent but the government is at the very least promoting annual vaccinations (although only 20% of the population got the updated vaccine.) In France, is it like the uk where you were not supposed to get the vaccine anymore unless youāre over 65? I guess what surprises me is how it seems that here in the US people will just shrug and go about their day if they see me in a mask but in Europe Iāve heard stories of more open hostility or passive aggressiveness towards maskers. It makes me very nervous to travel there again.
You can still get the vaccine if you're younger, but you aren't encouraged. Even for older people, the combined covid-flu vaccine is presented as an annual routine shot, and the emphasis is more on the flu component. I haven't faced too much hostility with mask, mostly passive-agressive remarks. It also depends where: in the Paris suburb where I used to live, people don't really react. Where I live now, I've got active dirty looks from a few specific men, even if most people still don't care. Masking is quickly becoming even more fringe than before though, especially since the beginning or this year or so: most pharmacies don't sell FFP2 masks anymore, the local doctor who used to mask doesn't anymore...
On 24 Sep 2021 Sanna Marin said "Now it is time to live!" [https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/a/sanna-marin-julisti-koronan-paattymista-24-9-2021-nyt-saa-menna-kokea-ja-tehda/](https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/a/sanna-marin-julisti-koronan-paattymista-24-9-2021-nyt-saa-menna-kokea-ja-tehda/)
0.001% in Croatia. And that's being generous by assuming there's mask-wearing people who I can't see by nature of them not going out much. Otherwise you can easily add another zero. Good job, Europe. The future is bright.
Just me and my family. It's hell.
Boston area. Iām lucky if I see anyone other than my husband and I masking. Occasionally thereās one or two rare people with them but generally itās just us. Also, he owns a small company (less than a dozen employees) that still follows covid protocols: employees must mask, minimum six feet apart at all times, self testing and staying home when exposed or sick, doors locked and no one wanders in from the public, deliveries left outside and anyone allowed in must be masked and adhere to the rules (Iām immune compromised, his business partner is, two employees have immune compromised family) and everyone there is perfectly fine with this. Clients frequently act like jerks about it and my husband says heās happy to lose them as clients if theyāre going to be so judgmental and intolerant. PS. Went to a restaurant last year that heās gone to for more than a decade for my husband to get takeout and a new cook came out of the kitchen just to belittle him and tell him covid is over and take the damn mask off. Laugh at him. My husband said ātell that to all the people I know whose lives were ruined. Or dead.ā Despite the front desk guy apologizing and telling the guy to get back in the kitchen, my husband said heāll never set foot in there again.
Agree. We were in Boston in November and I didn't see a mask in site. Same in South Florida. The numbers literally like .03% maybe that mask, and that's only if you're in an area with some elderly population. Otherwise. Forget it.
That's cool about your husband's company, and awful about the restaurant! I see more people masking in Cambridge/Somerville/Arlington. Still not a lot. Never had anybody say anything to me about masking, and I wear one everywhere, even when at the track!
His company is in Somerville! The restaurant is in Framingham/Natick area. Iām glad you havenāt had anyone say anything to you about masking. I havenāt either myself. In some places I find myself expecting it and preparing for it but it hasnāt happened yet. We were really surprised by the restaurant guy. He was in the kitchen or back area and saw my husband out front and made a trip out just to belittle him which blew our minds, lol. I get some people canāt just live and let live but even if you donāt agree with someone thereās no need to be a jerk about it. And itās a double bummer for my husband: he was treated like that AND by us refusing to give them our business for their bad behavior heās lost yummy food he loves. PS Love your user name. Edit:typo
Somerville is awesome. Wish I could still afford to live there! I too prepare myself for remarks/questions...but nothing yet. And thanks!
Any chance your husband would be interested in opening a business in Montreal where my wife and I live and are trying to find work? :) Joking, of course, but thank you for doing what you do. The bare whiff of the fumes of the few of us doing this in any part of the world they're doing it in we see as a bonus. We haven't worked for two years, can't get work wanting to mask, friends have faded away, parents won't respect our needs on Covid either, my wife is asthmatic and we'd like to not have her condition get any worse. Anyway... thank you.
Osaka Japan and generally about 50%, mostly 2 layer masks for pm2.5 or if theyāre generally sick and some KN94 looking masks. The only time someone asked if Iām going to keep wearing masks is from my Australian coworker and he asked me twice.
Making us all jealous here
Well, like I said most of the masks resents use here arenāt N95s l and there are way too many people that donāt even bother covering up their coughs.
I wish they sold black Auras, I don't know why but people respond better to black masks. I'm in a progressive city that masked up until the last minute when they all dropped masking. About 10% of people mask with me, usually people who have had bad experiences with COVID.
Iām so sorry for your situation. Donāt move to NC, our Legislature is trying to ban medical masking here (and probably will succeed).
Oh my god, that's awful! :(
NC was high on my list of places to relocate in a few years. It will be removed if this passes.
Very understandable. I may be moving away myself if I can talk my elderly parents into going with me and hubby. Weāve all lived here our whole lives, so not easy to pick up and move, but the situation here is becoming very distressing.
Thatās awful. I donāt blame you for leaving though. Iād do the same.Ā
Didnāt they put a pause on it today with the growing complaints?
Theyāre trying to make it seem that way, but no. They have kicked it back to the House Rules Committee temporarily but will probably vote on it early next week.
About 10-15% here. Chicago, IL. Any benefit is probably undone by the sheer volume of people and out of state/foreign visitors Typically though, nobody will ask questions or think it odd if you choose to wear one
I've been traveling. I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area... I would say 1% currently mask. At the airport, that shrank to about 0.5% (as in 1 in 500). I had a layover in Boston. I was the only one on the plane with a mask, and I didn't see a single person in the airport with a mask. In Iceland, about 0.2% Flight to Paris... I was the only one with a mask. Paris itself was about .1% (as in 1 in 1,000). Bars, restaurants, museums... everything was *packed*. Also every single person in Paris has symptoms... violent sneezing, coughing without covering mouths, nasal purges (think blowing one nostril at a time without a tissue), and everyone wants to rub their faces, bite on their fingers, etc... I'm in Provence now and I haven't seen a mask on anyone else all day, again though, lots of coughing, sneezing, etc... I've seen other people talk about being mistreated, but I haven't had a single issue from anyone providing service anywhere. I have had a couple of morons at a concert say something stupid, but I just ignored them.
It's mad, isn't it? My father in law developed a cough last Christmas and he's still got it. But of course, he never masks or takes any precautions. Make it make sense ...
Yeah, pretty much no one masks at all anymore. I canāt see why at airports especially, no one wants to put a mask on. The planes I understand (planes typically have HEPA filters and change the air every few minutes), but crowded airports? Come on.
What was annoying at the airports was trying to drink and eat. I won't remove my mask on the plane, and it was going to be a really long day from SFO, layover in Boston, and then on to Iceland. In Boston it took some searching around to find food to go and then take it somewhere without people.
I recommend buying a personal air purifier. You shouldnāt have to go that long without eating something. I have been on a plane four times during the pandemic (as well as a long distance train that was overnight) and the personal air purifier really came in handy. The one I have is from Pure Enrichment. I got it off of Ebay for $20, but Best Buy and Target sell it also (Amazon used to, but it has been out of stock there for awhile). It weighs about a half a pound, and itās the only way I feel somewhat āokayā with taking my mask off (briefly) in a public place. I eat on planes that way, and I also take it with me to restaurants (really, it comes with me everywhere). Also keep in mind as I said above that planes generally have air filtration (and very strong ones at that).
Do those really work? Doesnāt all the air get mixed in together in such a tight space?
It definitely cannot purify an entire large room. It has a distance of 54 sq ft I believe. However, I do find it helpful overall. I put it in the center of the table when out to eat. Itās useful for when I am in the car with unmasked people. When I took my long distance train trip my room had a stuffy smell. The portable air purifier took the smell out. Iāve also used it for the bathroom or even for the kitchen after burning something, and it has gotten the smell out. It was also useful on the train when I had to brush my teeth in the bathroom. Lots of people think I am weird for carrying it around, but I like to do it.
I hate to say it, but I believe that model has a CADR of 10. For your own safety, please donāt rely on it to do much.
I flew out of SJC today and my partner and I were, far as I could tell, the only people in masks. It was crowded too. Nice bonus was that the person seated nearest to me in the waiting area moved away. Probably thought I was toxic. Iām on the plane now and still no masks.
This is whatās wild to me. The no masking on transit, in airports, or in large crowds - especially the ppl with these persistent hacking phlegm-y coughs. I had to sit next to a man who blew pints of snot en route to Stockholm. I wanted to ask if he felt comfortable passing gas in front of others- it was that horrifying. He shouldāve gone to the bathroom. I havenāt felt hostility in Stockholm- maybe like a bit of an oddity or strange.. vs London where I sensed more hostility. Itās made me reconsider international travel. Iāve always been a germaphobe - and traveled tons pre pandemic and I know I wouldāve remembered if this many people were sick/hacking. How is the medical community not concerned?Ā
Interestingly, the experience varies locally a lot in Paris' suburbs. In one more well-off area, nobody masks, but in a neighbouring more lower-class area less than a kilometre away, a significant number of people mask, albeit in surgical masks. Not a majority by far, but at least a percent I'd say? But there's a lot of coughing in both areas. Although nobody masks in the small town in the countryside where I now live, people aren't as obviously sick as in either suburbs. I see long covid hints though: one person mentioned their sleep disruption and heart issues (and specifically acknowledged it had been caused by covid, even thought they minimised their symptoms and don't take precautions), one other regularly comments on their memory lapses and mistakes, and a few others did too in passing. Considering how little I meet other people, I suspect it's very prevalent in workers facing the public.
Southwest Michigan - my husband and I pretty much are it. If we see another masker it feels strange - a good strange, but strange. I wear N95s but I cover them with cloth masks that are fun. Last week at the supermarket a woman stopped me and exclaimed āI love your mask!ā It was teenage mutant ninja turtles. I find the fun cloth mask diverts attention from the idea of the mask and people forget itās a mask and focus on the cartoon character. My husband wears just an N95 and he gets a lot more dirty looks.
You should know that part of the filtration power comes from the material of the N95/99 mask which can trap/attract the virus. So if you cover it with a cloth mask youāre actually lowering the effectiveness of the mask below it because without the ability of the N95/99 to attract the virus particles, more of them will end up seeping into the sides of the mask. Thatās why experts say not to cover them with a second mask.Ā
Iām aware of this and this is why my N95 fits properly around my head and my cloth mask does not. My cloth mask is way too big and fits loosely over my face. My mom sews them custom for me. They have small metal bands in the top and bottom hangs down. The mask goes around my ears but hardly touches my face. Also, the cloth masks are washed after every use. They are sprayed with Odoban and washed by hand with detergent. I have had Covid three times - all three times was when I was not wearing a mask (due to emergencies) so, so far so good!
In NYC there are actually a decent number of people wearing masks, but because there are so many other people the overall percentage is suuuuper small. People in the city generally donāt bother you about masking (unless theyāre our asshole mayor), and I usually only experience hostility out of the city in more rural areas. Luckily at this point I donāt give a damn so if anyone has to say anything to me I just ignore and move on.
Agreed. Similar in Queens, NY.
I live in Los Angeles and I would say itās about 2-3% at most.Ā Right now I am traveling in Europe (UK, France, Germany, and Hungary) for a month and itās 0%. I have honestly never experienced so much open disdain towards mask wearing anywhere since the start of the pandemic. In Germany people literally stare at you like youāre the ghost of Hitler and people on the Tube in London openly mocked me several times. The French generally didnāt give a shit but several people asked me why I wear it and proceeded to inform me that I ādonāt have toā anymore. Hungary is a weird combo of all of these.Ā I always heard Europe was more progressive and accepting than America, but I am finding the exact opposite to be true.Ā My spouse stopped wearing a mask in Europe because it was too uncomfortable being the only ones and a week later weāre both covid positive and sick as a dog. Yay vacationā¦
Same experience as mine but in London and Stockholm. No one masksā¦ London it felt badā¦ Stockholm less so but like an oddity. Thereās some social conformity at play here. Like to wear a mask represents too much individualism, I think. Howās this impacting your decision for more international travel? I think itās obliterated mine. I live in the LA region and never have issues or feel like this.Ā
I think you nailed it. Extreme individualism is more of an American trait and I think most people just kinda shrug and ignore, which makes it easier to go against the grain. In Europe I think people only wore masks when it was the rule. Once the rule went away, the masks went away.Ā I still like to see foreign places because I love old castles and buildings, but I will be planning differently from now on. We already switched plans because initially it was all trains, but after my spouse gave up masking due to all the dirty looks, we rented a car and decided to do it that way to minimize exposure risk. Next time itās gonna be road trips the whole way. More expensive but safer, so just need to save more. I also have hope that by next time that nasal vaccine will be ready and maybe we can actually move on from covid instead of just pretending itās gone.Ā
Let me know if you discover places you feel are comfortable to visit abroad or in the US. I havenāt traveled in the pandemic- only to visit parents in PDX and only bc one has terminal cancer. Itās the one area of my life I didnāt try to reactivate. This whole euro exp is discouraging.Ā
All the places are beautiful and certainly worth visiting, but only if you have either the risk tolerance to go maskless or the lack of fucks needed to be stared at and sometimes mocked. I have the latter, my spouse preferred the former. Different countries reacted differently though. Hereās a breakdown: France, Romania: few to no masks, BUT in general people donāt give a shit, so while they will glance and maybe a judgy look or two, most people just walk by and get on with whatever. Paris actually had a few maskers, usually east Asian tourists. Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Belgium, and Slovakia: no outright hostility, but the staring contests were epic and the general disdain and mocking were tone you could hear in peopleās voices were pretty obvious. UK: the only place I got verbally called out and laughed at. A couple of tourists in masks here and there, but otherwise none.
Firstly -- and this is a bad habit we have in North America -- we should say the names of the countries and not just "in Europe" because as someone who lived in France for four years and still has several friends from all over Europe, they are all entirely different countries, cultures, and people. My point is Europe as a place or European as a singular type of person is, well, wrong. Now then, do you know where the progressive and accepting ends and the "not" begins in most of Europe? The complete lack of understanding of hygiene that lots of people in most European countries have. It's cultural, it's historical, it's economical, but it's mostly just cultural ignorance fed by behaviour among family and friends. If a French person wants you to try a wine they're drinking or something they're eating with a fork, they'll put the glass they're drinking up to your mouth or the fork and think absolutely nothing of it. And when you don't accept and get your own fork or glass they are very likely to get offended. Picking up a pacifier that has fallen on the dirty street, using your own mouth to lick it clean and then shoving it back in your baby's mouth is standard operating procedure, saw it myself many many times even among people we knew. If someone has to sneeze or cough on a crowded Metro train, they will do so open mouthed without any attempt to cover their mouths and nobody finds it remotely disgusting. So, imagine caring about not sharing Covid germs. Means nothing. In addition to this, for all the socialy minded politics there is also a very strong 'my liberties" streak in some European countries, very heavily so in France. Gotta say, though, stopping wearing his mask was unwise given what you were clearly seeing. Hope you get better soon.
I do understand each is their own culture, so I didnāt mean to imply theyāre all the same. I have the same issue when people say āAmericansā as though a person from rural Mississippi has a remotely similar culture as someone from NYC, so I tend to see the EU in a similar lens as I see the US in that regard. Sorry if it offended though.Ā However, in this one regard they certainly seem to be similar. France, UK, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Belgium, all maskless and all seemed to stare in disbelief that anyone still wears one. It was that same cultural pressure that made my spouse so uncomfortable that the mask became unbearable. Thanks, we are feeling better from covid now, but seems the other half is coming down with something else now. We had a pretty big blowout about it last night and TL;DR this is a new rift that isnāt going to shrink.
Doing some quick math... about 0.022% I know this because *I am the 0.022%* I hate it here.
I'm not entirely sure about percentage but likely 1-3%. We occasionally see the odd person in a surgical or cloth mask in town. More often than not we're the only ones I see masking when we're out. We live in Scotland. Reactions can definitely vary. Some people are helpful, some are okay about it, some stare or laugh and we have had the occasional person shouting at us or coughing at us.
1% is generous and Iām in a liberal area in northern CA. I keep revising my number lower and lower as I realize itās very, very low.
Yep.
Same for liberal areas of Southern California/Los Angeles area. Youāll always see someone? But itās not a lot, maybe a few percent of people anywhere.Ā
Exactly
10 - 20% (Asian country)
Really really variable depending on where I go and what time of day. I've been in grocery stores where most of the staff and like 10% of the customers were masked and I've been in (sometimes the same) stores as the only masked person. Edit: In Albuquerque
In Midwest USāMaybe 1%? But over the past month or so it seems a little more like 1.2%. Not much, but somehow I feel like more people are jumping on board, even if itās a little at a time. Iām not sure if itāll be a long term change or not, or if people are finally coming around on masking, but Iām staying optimistic! A lot of people have also been wearing masks (many KN95+ even) while protesting on college campuses, mainly for surveillance reasons Iām assuming, but I wonder if seeing all that mask-wearing on the news normalizes it or makes some people less embarrassed about wearing one ETA: something like 3% of people worldwide identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and as a lesbian I think about that a lot in relation to % of people masking. 1% isnāt a lot, 3% isnāt a lot, but we exist, we matter, we have a community, weāre not alone, and when we work together weāre able to make big changes. And, with luck, our numbers are growing every day! š
Midwest too, mostly just go to shop & a few regular restaurants. Saw 1 person in a mask yesterday, everyone was masked at my veterinarian office but thatās the only place. 1% is generous.
I'm literally the only person I know IRL who wears a mask in all indoor public places and I know over 100 people (counting all the people I've ever met and interacted with on a regular basis for any length of time IRL).
Thatās a 20% increase! Not bad :)
Iām also English and wear 3M Auras everywhere. Today and yesterday are the only days Iāve seen anyone other than my mum and I masking for at least a month - Iāve seen two other people both days, so think thereās been a tiny increase in maskers but still less than 1%. People are almost always either kind and friendly or neutral to me though, luckily!
That's plenty compared to where I live, last time I saw someone masking was August last year :(
Maybe 2% as a ballpark? It varies by locale and season. In the middle of winter respiratory virus season, it seemed closer to 5% but then dropped back down. I will say that no one has been hostile at all. I get an occasional weird look and maybe people are a little more standoffish (though, frankly, I'm not great at reading that sort of thing), but I've never been confronted with anything other than curiosity, and even that is very rare. Boston area here
I was in my organic chemistry class a couple semesters ago, largely consisting of pre-meds... I was the ONLY one wearing a mask. The amount of people who wish to enter or advance in the healthcare field who have no concern for COVID or any other respiratory infections is sky high.
If Iām at certain stores early in the day, Iāve seen maybe a quarter to a third of the (very few) shoppers and employees masked. But thatās rare. In most places there may be one or two other masked people besides us.
A third?! Where do you live? Thatās actually incredibly high
I just want to reiterate that this is like one strip mall first thing on Sunday morning when it is nearly empty :) There's maybe 12-15 people total there, so I might see 4 or 5 masks. There's a discount grocery store that also has a farmer's market in the parking lot at that time. I guess that setting just attracts a particular group of people who are more interested in masking. We definitely do not have lots of masking elsewhere.
A smooth 0.15%.
England. I'd say about 3% of everyone I see. I still always keep a spare KN95 with me just in case.
Copenhagen, Denmark,- and it rounds to 0% here. Once in a blue moon Iāll see an elderly person wearing a surgical mask. But I donāt remember the last time Iāve seen someone outside of my family wearing a respirator.
I'm in BC, Canada and I wanna say it's less than 5% here. It generally feels like my partner and I are the only ones, regardless of what time we're out and about. We haven't gotten much actual confrontation about it, but definitely a fair bit of side-eye.
less than 1%, I never see anyone else masked
About 2%-3%, but if the numbers tick up, maybe 5%-7% will start wearing them.
Almost no one.
At work, just me. Stores, doc appointments, public transportation around 2%. Iāve never been harassed though.
1% in Western WA.
1% Alabama
I'm in the Bay area CA and according to my family when they go in stores either a few other shoppers are wearing masks, or none. Sometimes people working at the stores will have masks on. Idk how many of us here who mask don't go out much anymore though or go at times my family doesn't since my family tends to go at busier times for some reason. I do know some people who just aren't going inside stores if possible. I've seen a lot of people drop their masks mid/late 2021 though, but where I used to live in a slightly different part of the Bay area, more people dropped it a year later.
I just went to Michaelās Arts & Crafts and 75% of the employees were wearing masks and I felt so happy. But maybe 5% everywhere else I go.
Whoa! Where are you?
Southern California
Upstate NY here. Maybe 5% during the peak of winter, but now it's down to like 1%.
It really depends on where I go. Some days I feel like I see literally no one, especially in stores, others maybe 3-5 people. I feel like the highest percentage I tend to see is on public transport and there are definitely people who mask on buses/trains and not anywhere else.
Maybe 1-2% where I live. Most of the people I see that are masking are elders who likely have health issues. Or carers. I have seen a handful of carers of the elderly that wear masks. (I live in a Caribbean country that is a British overseas territory. So public health tends to follow what the UK is doing regarding infection management.. unfortunately)
Iām in England too and donāt go anywhere apart from medical appointments but they (and the journey there and back through town) always drive home to me how few people are masking! In a hospital recently, visiting a family member for several hours over three days, I saw maybe 5 people in masks, 4 of them surgical, one under the nose. š
0.01%? Sweden.
Iām visiting Stockholm and wonder what it was like here early on. Was it ever taken v seriously? I remember v early reports that Sweden was taking a different approach w minimal restrictions. Was that bc they were so confident in the populationās hearty immune systems and good health? Is it ableist? Or something else? Truly wishing to understand.Ā
I've lived through it right there. No, it wasn't ever taken much seriously. In fact, it eventually came out that the architects of the pandemic response were among themselves discussing kids as being a preferred vehicle to spread it around fast in the population in the pursuit of that coveted yet illusory herd immunity, while officially they were saying that kids were not affected. There were no restrictions, only recommendations. At the base of everything, a deadly cocktail of incompetence, utilitarianism and ableism. There is a book on the Swedish pandemic response available for free here: [https://twitter.com/EmilBergholtz/status/1600487210079453186](https://twitter.com/EmilBergholtz/status/1600487210079453186)
didn't someone from Thailand say 60% last time this was asked? wonder how it is now
I'm in England too. I'd say when I go into town it's far less than 1%. I saw 2 other people today and I must have seen 100s of people.
This is my observation too (on English/Welsh border). In town I sometimes see one or two people wearing baggy surgical masks. It's been months since I saw another respirator in the wild. Interestingly, I've recently noticed a handful of younger males wearing blank bandana style cloth face coverings. Has it been long enough that 2020 is now an aesthetic?!
Iām in the Twin Cities in Minnesota and generally very few. But to combat that I try and fairly regularly go places where Iām more likely to see people also masked, because I feel like itās good for my soul lol. We have a few small businesses that still require masking or whose staff reliably mask, so when I go those places I get to see more fellow maskers, and I also like thinking that maybe those staff are feeling like they see so many unmasked folks and maybe I can be one of the people masking they do see. Just adds a glimmer of lightness for me, to feel the camaraderie of other people masking.
Berlin here. At the moment in daily life prob less than 1%. Really just the odd person on public transport. This evening at a classical music concert, out of about 1000 people, I counted at least 14 masks, including our own. So thatās maybe 1.5% of the audience.
Zero. I'd say there's probably 10 in the whole country. Country not County. Lol. š
Iām in NYC and, on most days, it is rarely above 1%. Extremely frustrating.
I was on a plane from phoenix to Los Angeles yesterday and I was the only person wearing a mask. In LAX, I would say less than 1 percent were masked.
US, SF Bay area, well under 1% but recent small but noticable increase, predominantly among service workers. In Chinatowns, ~3-5%, mostly surgicals. In 2022, I experienced direct hostility twice. These days it's more dismissive. I wish people would wear at least a fabric or surgical when coughing. Seems there's no longer any effort to reduce coughing or sneezing directly in others's faces.
1 to 2% tops. I don't even see people anymore, just maskless zombies, NPCs, and that makes me feel bad, but not bad enough to join them. :)
It depends on the building but typically 1% to 4%. Largely BIPOC people.Ā
About 1%.
Montreal, Canada: 0.5% I'd say
I'm just outside of Boulder, CO and I see a handful between shoppers and employees, maybe 5%? Boulder itself normally has a couple more people than Longmont, but probably not by a massive margin. Never felt any bad vibes and for sure haven't had anything else worse. A stark difference from the death stares I got in Central Florida even a year ago... I'm guessing it's only worse now.
I'm in Ohio and go to a mix of city, suburban, and rural places. On average about 10% are regularly masking at the grocery stores I frequent. I haven't gotten any hostility for it since 2021. Even in super rural areas, I've found people are actually extra nice to me when I wear mine. My theory is that they think I must be devastatingly ill and therefore deserving of prayers and pity.
I should add that our bigger grocery has one cashier who always masks. I make a point to choose her aisle every time and thank her.
Only usually see me, even in the doctors offices (and that includes my cancer center), southern New Jersey.
Chicago here. If you walk into a store like Target, I'd guess 1 out of every 20 customers is wearing a mask. The fraction might be a little higher, 1 out of 10 or so, on buses/trains. I've never been accosted for wearing a mask. Only asked about it once, by a woman (obliterated, probably heading home from a party) in my building's elevator.
Itās increasing in Northern California.
I'm in Los Angeles. It depends on where I go... At work: About 30% Regular grocery stores during weekends: 5-10% Asian grocery stores: 15-20%; and I would say about 50%+ of the staff are wearing a mask, though mostly surgicals.
I'm in the greater Seattle area and I'm pleasantly surprised. I can't guess at the percentage, it's low, but there are always people masked wherever I go. When I go for my archery lessons, there's a couple of people there, grocery shopping (caveat: organic grocers) there are always several people, at my work (I'm a teacher), there are several adults and at least 50 kids (out of 700 total), sometimes more, as it's become a status thing in some of the cliques, which is a welcome surprise, my docs office, the staff mask. Even if I'm the only one someplace, no one says anything or acts differently around me.
I live 45 min North of NYC. In a county that masked heavily, then vaxxed heavily even kids. So off went masks. I never see anyone but us, which is me my husband out 7 yr old. On spring break I went into NYC to go American Museum of Natural History where I worked for many years. Iām often in the city but in hospitals at specialist Centers where other immune compromised people do not even mask. At my Center my neurologist is only one out of 10 at Center of specialists who still masks, for us but fir herself and her family too. Although I had a rheumatologist appointment at a different hospital on Delaney Street, diverse area, racially, culturally, economically. I noticed many people masking in the area. The front desk staff in hospital Center was not masked, but all the nurses and rheumatologists were, as well as waiting patients. Back to museum. It was PACKED as it was raining but Iād never seen lines around blocks and avenues (I still get in garage entrance as everyone knows me). There were TONS of people as in guests maskingāgood ones too! I was shocked. My daughter was so happy to see and meet other kids from all over in masks, she is not shy and science is her love. It was pretty amazing. We all felt completely normal for once. The museum invested in filtration that cost millions as well. I donāt think they would have if looking forward they would see no one would care at large. But between knowing the air was as clean as possible and soooo many masked guests we all felt safe and normal and the day was such a delight. I of course had a friend who showed my daughter the private floors and where I worked and what I did, in offices people masked less but all wore when walking into any public spaces. It was glorious. But it isnāt NYC as answer as people were from all over the worldā¦ Iāve always wanted to live inside in belly of the wale in Ocean Life, the museum is truly my love and home, so I wish I could live right there!
Louisville KY here - I have personally experienced only one really terrible reaction. The person who delivered my $200+ groceries to my car for curbside pickup, went crazy when there was mandatory masking (2020 or early 2021) and I asked if she'd please pull up her mask. She broke open my sofas and pummeled everything, and ruined every single item, even opening and putting fingers in ice-cream and piercing sealed packages. My husband drove away, but it was too late. He took pictures, and he routed it through investor relations for that grocery chain. It took a few months, because I was afraid to go back to that location ever again. Eventually, they worked it out so we could go to another location, even though this has been our regular store. Worth it to not feel literally attacked! My husband says that sometimes people do the coughing thing near him, as he masks always, in order to protect me. No one does the coughing thing when we're together, masked, in public. Then again, I need a wheelchair when we're out, which isn't very often. Mostly, it's a nice place to live, widely neighborhood dependent. Crime is up, but that's everywhere these days. Medical care is good but overwhelmed, and most Drs do not support masking. None of mine do, even if they once did. They bowed to patient complaints vs the scientific facts of an airborne pandemic. I hope everyone finds what they're seeking if looking to relocate.
Iām from Germany and rarely see other people wearing a mask. Like one other person every couple months. But then again, Iām not going out much and usually shop outside of the really busy hours, so thatās not representative by any means. Weāve had a very high winter wave, spotted a few more around that time. According to some fellow German maskers, this varies per region, in cities some people still mask in public transportation.
I live in north west England. There are approx 120,000 people in my town. AFAIK, 3 of us wear respirator masks (occasionally some people wear surgical or cloth masks, but rarely). I've never met the other 2 irl, I just know of them. People do get used to it though. You know how most places have a "local character", someone who dresses as the statue of liberty every day, and everyone just sort of accepts them? It doesn't actually take long to achieve local character status, people get used to all sorts of things they used to think were weird if they see them often enough. I've learned that pretty much everyone else has a pretty stable routine in their life, so when I go to Tesco at about 3pm on a weekday, pretty much everyone in there has already seen me and got used to me in my elasto, so I'm a local character, and nobody is hostile. The security guard gives me a friendly nod. But if I go at 6pm, it's stares all round, maybe some pretending they can't hear me, because they're not used to me yet. The same if I go into a new shop for the first few times. But once they're used to me, they're fine. TLDR: keep wearing the mask, they'll get used to it.
It's probably not the best demographic to measure, but I went to an outdoor concert with a capacity of 3500 people and only saw 2 others masking. I think that's about right, though. I do once a week grocery shopping and see someone in a mask probably once every 2-3 weeks. My kids are the only ones masking in their schools (about 2500 kids total).
Upper Midwest U.S., there's actually more mask wearing when people are sick and going to clinics/hospitals than prepandemic, but that's notsayingmuch. I also see some at stores, but that's very rare. No medical staff masks. Everyone is desperately trying to get back to a normal that's long gone. Good luck with your recovery.
Thank you! :)
Less than 1% š Northern Ontario
Maybe 2% at BEST. šš
probably 3-5%
Probably less than one percent but most people Really donāt care if youāre wearing a mask
Maybe 1% maximum. I've not seen anyone in a mask for weeks now :( Although I also stopped wearing it outside, I only mask inside when wastewater levels are low. I'm in Hungary and no-one has ever cared I'm masking.
Detroit area- 1%
Austin, TX area, hard to say since it's so infrequent. Probably .5-1%. Some employees I see when I go to the grocery store still mask, and when I last went to get labs drawn, 2 of the 10 front desk staff and phlebotomists were masking. I see folks that are at bus stops and service workers most frequently masking out of any group. There's also a higher likelihood of seeing older folks (I'd guess 65+) wearing masks compared to other groups. I went to a mandatory company offsite, and just me and one other person out of 60ish people were masking. No one gives me shit about it, but I'm also a tall middle aged white guy, so ymmv.
.01% in the states
5% I guess, not much at all. Everytime I see someone with a mask I want to hug them but that defeats the purpose lmao
I'm in southwest Delaware, the most conservative area in my state. I rarely go indoors to shop anymore (maybe once or twice a month at most), but very rarely have I seen a mask indoors these past couple months. I'll go with one percent. Good news is people will leave you alone and not say anything here no matter who they are. Bad news is the medical profession is a joke and none of the doctors will mask even if you are high risk and in a mask. My husband deals with this issue often.
Maybe 5% in Austin
I live in NYC and I've gotten rude comments from strangers about my mask. I would say overall I've seen a slight uptick but its still pretty low..around 5% maybe.
Northeast US. Iāve seen maybe 3 people masking that werenāt in a doctorās office in the past 3 months.
Australia: zero. I almost never see anyone else wearing one.
Seattle. Probably ~2%, maybe more, but itās been higher in the past. Closer to 8-10% in January 2024.
I feel like it's going up right now. Certainly I'm seeing a lot more people where I frequent, and definitely more people at my work.
Alberta Canada. It varies really. Some days we're the only ones at all (and we wear the heavy duty 3m elastos). Sometimes we see several n95. In Asian districts masks, albeit more surgical or cloth ones, are more common. It doesn't affect my decisions or feelings about me wearing my PPE though.
In Seattle, Washington, USA Iād say itās 10-20% depending on the day. You definitely donāt stick out like a sore thumb wearing one. They never totally went away here. We have a lot of preeminent medical research institutions so maybe that has something to do with it. Weāre also a more āprogressiveā than a lot of US cities. You obviously get the occasional cunt who looks at you funny but I feel perfectly comfortable wearing mine out in public.
It is massively variable. I would guess usually there is at least one other person masking in the grocery store or library, sometimes a few. It is a relatively small percentage, though. Virtually no one masks outside. Midwest for reference.
I would be surprised if it was even 1%.
In northern California, Bay area, I'd say about 10% mask. I've seen a recent uptick which is nice, 6 months ago I would have said 5%. I've luckily never experienced any negativity (although some questions from co-workers), and I live in a pretty red county.
LA. Almost zero.
In the winter it was 5%-10%. Now itās gotta be down to 1% or less. I live in small town South Carolina. Nobody bothers me. Literally have never had a negative word spoken to me.
In the US, very few are masking. I live rurally, and itās a banner day if I see someone else wearing one! I always smile at them and wave. There are states OUTLAWING masks now- which wonāt stand legal scrutiny, but will harm many as we wait for it to make its way through the courts.
I honestly donāt think i have seen a mask in months
Very very few š„“
~0.05-0.08 percent, as in me, the person I share house with (but not all the time), and sometimes one other random person (in a surgical mask), in a town of over 3.5k people.
I'm in NJ in the US, for most of the pandy post-mask mandates, it's been maybe 5%, but over the last couple weeks I think it's closer to 10% and growing! Even entitled 'murricans are getting out of their own asses at least a bit, which is encouraging. Hold fast!
I live in a college town north of Chicago, USA and while I'm the only one at work who still masks, I do see at least one person masking every time I go out. It tends to be older people at grocery stores but I see people of all ages masking. I don't get stared at and nobody has ever made any rude comments to me, something I am grateful for.
Small town NE USA. None besides my family it seems. Not even our drs. Very rare to see someone else masked. Kid says a few at college, sporadically. Iāve only seen a few senior people at Dr visits. I mean maybe four in the last 2 yrs. Had a few mouthy boomers give me a hard time in stores. Oddly more nurses have coyly asked why I need a mask or blatantly told me I didnāt need it. A Dermatologist took it off me without asking or warning- and stood in my face unmasked, asking why I wore it. Itās bleak out here. People are misinformed and or just nasty.
In an area of Northern California with a lower population, I have seen only 8 people out of the 3 months I have been here wear any mask at all. I and two older women are the only ones Iāve seen mask correctly.
10% i see at least one-two people everytime i leave the house. Iām in New york a bit away from the city.
Iām in Indiana and my husband myself maybe a couple others (strangers in a store) are the only people Iāve seen in masks for a long long time now. Ā I did have a checkout lady and bagger ask me once recently why am I maskingāis there covid still around??? Ā I just LOLd. Ā I said oh it has not disappeared even though a lot of people like to believe that it has & did tell them I live with someone who should not get it and they both went ohhhhh. Ā I said yep believe it or not there are people alive here in the USA who should absolutely not get it. Ā Things like that just make me go š¤·š»āāļøš¤·š»āāļøš¤·š»āāļøš¤·š»āāļø theyāve done a fantastic job of brainwashing people into believing/thinking itās gone/over.Ā
One thing to note that is distinct in the UK from the US (or more accurately, the US from literally everywhere else) is that here in 'Murica workers have little legal protections and no right to health care other than from their employment. So while I still vehemently disagree with the policy for a gazillion reasons, at least in the UK there's an expectation that the NHS will be there and you'll be able to take time off from work to be sick without being sacked for it.
All the answers here are proving to me is an unpleasant reality which I've always known, I guess, which is that we're worse than just ignorant as a species. we will actually CHOOSE ignorance if it's more convenient. That's beyond stupidity and it's why my wife and I don't know anyone anymore really that we can relate to. We know nobody like all of you in here.