Fear porn ads on TV and radio are still a thing. States have brought back indoor mask “recommendations” (but not mandates). My parents are still nuts about the entire thing. So much so that my father obsessed over the state’s “death count”, and uses it to slam me for “not caring enough”…
My grandmother has had, like, four booster shots (because fear). My cousins rarely ever go out, and almost never without a mask…
But it’s not just my family. Someone told me today that he is no longer doing his job for the year, and all his colleagues have taken “an extended break until next year”, because “Covid means we are focusing on only essential services, not anything else”. And this is in the healthcare sector…
It’s insane. It’s been nearly three years. Less than 500 people have died, here. And yet, still this continues…
“Hospitalizations!” “Daily infection numbers!” “One more person died!”
I honestly don’t see them giving this up, or masks and boosters going away, probably like ever, here…
Which is just sad, frankly.
I assume other parts of the world have moved on, largely?
Certainly not Asia, notably, or fucking New Zealand of course, but I would hope that other parts of the world have, at the very least…
Most of the people I know don't wear masks anymore, and don't mention COVID. Around town, I still see some people in stores wearing a mask, probably fewer than 10%. Occasionally I'll see a lost cause walking down an empty sidewalk wearing a mask.
I know a few people, though, who are completely broken and probably not coming back. The wife of a friend has probably left the house less than six times in the last year. She met up with a mutual friend and asked her to stand farther away when they were walking outside. This was long after peak COVID.
It pains me to realize that the people who perpetrated this psychologically damaging campaign of fear will never be held accountable for their actions.