Seeing the Vaccinated
I am not a kippah wearer (those small, round head coverings), but it’s common practice for some people who eat vegetarian or vegan in non-kosher establishments to take off their kippah while inside. The thought is that someone walking by the window could glance in and see someone with a kippah dining and think the place was kosher. And they may enter, order something, and break kashrut themselves. This way, no one gets confused or makes assumptions.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot when I read articles about how this is the most dangerous time during the pandemic. As the WashPo opinion piece states about people unvaccinated: “Now is the worst possible time to let down their guard. They should continue to wear their masks, keep their distance and avoid risky situations — even as they see their vaccinated brethren enjoying their newfound freedom.”
In other words, seeing other people doing something doesn’t mean it’s safe to do; and we have no way of knowing whether the other person we’re seeing doing these things is vaccinated or not. It is the opposite of the kippah-removing situation. It’s almost as if we need people to wear their “I got vaccinated” sticker permanently, so we can see behaviour and know they are doing it because all is kosher in their world.
Or to not assume anything. Our decision is to keep wearing masks indoors; even with other people who are vaccinated, basing the decision to remove our masks among the vaccinated on community levels vs. vaccination status. We’re looking at the vaccine more like a seatbelt and the pandemic like the weather.
To explain: When community spread is up, we can think of it like a bad storm. And when community spread is down, we can think of it like a light drizzle. In both cases, you have a danger of getting wet, though you’re more likely to get soaked in a downpour than a misting.
We wear our seat belt regardless of the weather and it’s great protection (even if it’s not 100% effective at saving your life), but when it’s raining hard with zero visibility, we wouldn’t go driving in a storm for fun. We may have no choice to go out in heavy rain (eg. work, school, or an appointment), but for all other times, just as we wouldn’t risk driving in a no-visibility downpour (whereas would take the risk going out in a drizzle), we wouldn’t take a risk with the pandemic and expect the vaccine to cover us. Especially with variants and the fact that the vaccine isn’t 100% coverage. Just like a seat belt.
We know many others aren’t making the same decision, and that’s fine for other people. I’m just explaining how we set our goal posts.
Luckily, community spread here is going down. We’re just waiting for it to drop below 5 per 100K to feel like the rain is entering the drizzle stage. So soon. But not yet.
9 comments
I thought about this today when I stopped at a drive-thru to grab coffee and noticed people outside who were maskless. I have zero clue whether they were vaccinated AND, just because they are, it doesn’t mean they can’t get infected and develop symptoms (you still can, it’s just you’re less likely to become severely ill and less likely you’ll transmit the virus).
Masks are still needed, especially given we are no wear near the level of vaccinations needed to curb transmission and we’ve hit of point of fighting people just to get vaccinated. Here in California, many businesses require masked when indoors, but misinformation is making getting to a point where that could change harder.
Better safe than sorry. I have vaccinated people inviting me to drinks and things, and I just can’t do it. I can meet up outside, but inside… No. Even though I’m vaccinated. Outside I think I’m okay. We are considering trying an inside early seating at our favorite Mexican restaurant, but that is so much anxiety. To be unmasked inside seems so crazy. I think everyone has to find their own comfort level. It does seem real weird how fast things are looking more normal-ish. Eeek.
I fear this stupid mask guidance is the latest fumble. So stupid! Why are we catering to the idiots? “People are tired of wearing masks so let’s give them an incentive” so now all the idiots even the unvaxxed will go unmasked. And the tensing (complicated) rules are unenforceable. Our city had its own ordinance and now they’re taking down signs bc they can’t enforce it.
And on top of all that… I think relaxing things even for a completely vaccinated people is completely foolish. At best they’re 95% effective against the earlier variants. That’s not 100%! And it’s likely much lower for some of the current variance that are spreading. Husband and I are both fully vaccinated and we haven’t changed our lifestyle one bit and don’t intend to. Especially since our kids aren’t vaccinated and won’t be for probably another year. I still can’t believe how foolishly we are handling this.
I’m with you. We will probably lighten up a bit with family once we’re all vaccinated, and once things reopen & we get our second shots (later this summer), we will probably be out & about a bit more to stores, etc., than we have — but we’ll still be wearing our masks. I won’t be eating inside a restaurant for a long time yet. MAYBE on a patio later this summer. I saw the crowds at Disney World this weekend and yikes. I know everyone is anxious to get back to normal, but this thing is far from over yet. New case numbers are rising again all across Canada, despite more and more people getting vaccinated. I heard one news report say the current per capita case rate in the city of Calgary (Alberta) is currently twice as high as India’s (!!). It just goes to show you how quickly things can change with this virus, and not for the better.
I look at a lot of covid stats all the time, but I haven’t checked out our per 100K lately. The current 7-day rolling average of new cases reported over the past 28 days is 24.3 for the province (Ontario), 28.8 for the region I live in and 42.9 for the city of Toronto. Peel Region, the hardest hit area, is at 50.9. The current number of active cases per 100K for the province is 253. (In Alberta, it’s 401.) 5 per 100K, no matter how you’re measuring it, is clearly still a LONG way off!
Yes. I touched on this in a post today. And I agree with both above, we are not handling this well. Turkey had a shit down recently, and Paris is just coming off of one…and yet here in the states people are being truly American in their selfish and short-sighted way of thinking. Instant gratification, ya da ya da . Fucking ridiculous…healthcare workers are fatigued and stressed, and it’s so disheartening when leaders want to jump the gun. It’s all political and it losses me off. And…Covid is here to stay. Still seeing positive cases left and right…it’s not slowing down in our hospitals at all.
I will never understand why this is a debate… if you choose to mask and vaccinate and you believe those things actually work, then it shouldn’t matter if someone else chooses not to mask/vaccinate because your mask/vaccine “protects” you, either they work or they don’t. I don’t understand why some people think they have the right to tell others what to do with their body. Also, let’s be real, you are an introvert who is completely happy rarely socializing or leaving their house, that’s cool, but not everyone has to live the same way. Please stop using your introverted preference to dictate other people’s freedoms/lifestyle.
I’m not sure why you are taking this post so personally. You obviously haven’t seen the horrors of this virus up close or had anyone you Carr about die from it, and lucky you, I don’t wish that on anyone, but if you do you would understand. If you don’t like what Mel (or anyone else for that matter) is writing, just leave. No need to comment and attack her personally.
So, you delete comments that don’t agree with you? Cool.
No comments deleted unless they don’t fit the community guidelines. But I’m not seeing any other comment by you in the SPAM folder.