By Nanci Dixon
Thirty-four states currently have mask mandates. The mandates vary state by state depending on the age of the children, the requirement in schools, public transit, inside public areas to outside areas where people can’t be socially distanced. While some states have not mandated masks, cities within a state can mandate masks. Miami mandated masks while Florida did not.
SEE POLL AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE
A couple of weeks ago I posted a question in the Facebook group, RVing during the pandemic. I asked if people are seeing others wearing masks and social distancing.
Tom was in Rural Tennessee: “No and No. Signs posted masks are mandatory at some stores; many younger adults and some elderly ignore the signs and refuse to wear masks. I continually remind others of the distancing requirement, asking them to please keep their distance as they approach me. Percent and number of positive cases are on the rise.”
Theresa said, “Nope. Just went to Walmart in Hershey, PA. All folks had them going in. But then sure ’nuff, you see the ones who take them off when they’re inside. On line at the register, young couple, no masks. When we got up to the register I asked for spray to clean the keypad.”
“The more rural areas have a lot less mask usage” reported Rita.
Robbin posted, “Everyone wears them in NY. They are not that bad for a short amount of time”.
Mike had a suggestion and said, “We wear masks, many don’t. Beaches are a problem. This might be helpful.”
Tell me in the poll below if most people, where you are, wear masks or not. Please feel free to leave a comment too, but remember to be respectful of others.
##RVT963
I live in the suburbs of New York City, and most people have been wearing masks here since March.The COVID numbers here are some of the lowest in the country, and have been for months. I really don’t get what the big deal is when it comes to wearing a mask. You don’t go around with no pants on, even if you don’t feel like wearing them. Wearing a mask can save your life and the lives of many others. Just do it!
CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Catalog # 2019-nCoVEUA-01
Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel
CDC-006-00019, Revision: 05
CDC/DDID/NCIRD/ Division of Viral Diseases
Effective: 07/13/2020
” The analytical sensitivity of the rRT-PCR assays contained in the CDC 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel were determined in Limit of Detection studies. Since no
quantified virus isolates of the 2019-nCoV are currently available“…… page 39.
In Yuma, Arizona, about 30% refuse to wear them. But more importantly, some of them are quite militant about it. I had an adult male sneeze, unmasked, three feet behind me in line at a Circle K. When confronted, he repeatedly said “Just leave, Bro.” I requested that the clerk refuse him service. The clerk was very young and did not comply. Regardless, his co-worker was only wearing his mask dangling over one ear. Only recently, Yuma was reporting a high of 7 deaths a day. But that’s okay, the Orwellian switch CDC just made in telling us that only 6% of cases are actually real makes me feel so much better.
7 deaths a day? I’d love to see your source on that. Why do you drive an RV, are you aware how big and dangerous these things are?
On a side note, it’s a pretty lame tactic that you try to associate this man sneezing on you with people who don’t wear masks.
I’d never say it’s OK to sneeze on anyone, ever.
Wow Matt. You managed to call me a liar, an {bleeped}, and lame all in one short message. Such love. Well, I guess no good deed goes unpunished. I shared the situation in Yuma, AZ. Do what you will with it. Peace out!
Please show me where I called you an {bleeped} or a liar – I asked you to provide a source for your claim.
I didn’t call you lame either, I said you used a lame tactic in trying to associate people who don’t wear masks with a man who was rude enough to sneeze on you.
Whoa, Scott, easy. Nowhere did Matt call you those things or imply them. While I agree that people refusing to wear masks in stores and other crowded public places put us all at risk, I’m a little taken aback on your attack on Matt. Please, let’s all take a deep breath before posting a comment or reply — I definitely include myself in that!!
I wonder does anyone care that the CDC just released their data stating that only 6% of the reported Covid deaths actually were from Covid?
I believe that comes out to around 10,000. Further nearly every 1 of them were ederly and/or had other health problems?
Just some food for thought.
less than 0.03% of the population.
Matt, can you point me to that statement? I just looked at every part of the CDC Web site devoted to COVID-19 and couldn’t find that statistic anywhere…
The CDC instruction for wearing a mask is to immediately wash your hands and not touch your face after putting it on. Given that, can someone explain why anyone should put such a contaminated thing on their face in the first place?
Hmmm. I think we’re supposed to dispose of disposable masks after each use and wash cloth masks after each use. So it should be clean (i.e., not contaminated) when you put it on. —Diane at RVtravel.com
In spite of the RV staff comment which I have not heard any where lately, you are correct. When I was working in a hospital setting, we would never think of reusing a paper mask and there were receptacles to dispose of them near the exit of any room that we needed a mask in. Many people now hang the mask from the rear-view mirror. Of course sunlight may sanitize? right? It has actually been proven that touching your face installing a mask may be more dangerous then what the mask prevents. I carry hand sanitizere with me but unfortunatly, I some times find that I forgot to use it. However, I wash may hands as often as possible.
At work and no were else. I shop at places that leave me alone and I leave everyone else alone. Most who are not wearing them I will or most likely say hello to. Otherwise I have been acousted at a grocery store by a store clerk of all things for not wearing one when two others were not and this clerk did nothing but made an example of me. I no longer shop at this store. I shop elsewhere. Mask vs no mask? Your choice. Not a government choice.
Amen.
It would be great if people always made safe, pro-social choices — even in situations where they don’t face immediate, personal consequences for non-compliance.
But adapting our behavior to make others more safe isn’t always pleasant, convenient or cheap. And people are selfish.
So when public health is at risk, our elected officials make laws to help keep us safe.
Laws re safe driving, restaurant hygiene and childcare centers come to mind.
When you’re in private, then absolutely! You do you. But if you’re near me, then let’s both please do “us”.
In Franklin, IN, which is near Indianapolis, we visited a Walmart. I know Walmart Corporate mandated wearing masks over a month ago. IN governor mandated wearing of masks. Not many in this store were wearing masks, and if they were they didn’t have it over the nose, even the employees!! I mentioned this to an employee who had her mask over her nose but loose over the mouth. She said the police will not come to fine anyone not wearing masks if it’s not the law. I told her it’s mandated, therefore it IS the law. The manager will not turn anyone away for not wearing a mask, even though they pay someone to stand in front to tell people they have to have a mask on! I talked to a relative who is a manager in a Walmart in GA and he said that corporate said they will not turn anyone away for not wearing a mask. I’ve decided that I will boycott Walmart!! Some Walmart stores actually give a mask to anyone who doesn’t have one. The others are responsible for the rise in COVID 19.
Actually it’s not the law, you should look into the process of how something becomes a law.
There is no “rise in Covid”, you obviously missed the latest CDC report. You’re spreading hysteria.
Just wondering . . If masks work so well, why don’t we just ‘mask up’, wash our hands, and go back to work? What are we waiting for?
Cuz it’s about control, I’m guessing your question is rhetorical?
Btw, careful with the handwashing, it rubs off your outer protective layer of skin and most sanitizers have lots of cancer causing toxins.
We make our own sanitizer and know what is in it.
Chuck said rv travel is for intelligent people! Here is my research and experience. At age 50 the medical professionals said because of family history and other test results I need to be on blood pressure, cholesterol, aspirin etc. I listened, 10yrs later the side effects were not exceptible! Did my research and realized the professional were wrong! Been off all med for 6 yrs now and ALL of my test are great! My knees are in perfect shape now , I can run, jump off the back of semi’ at work, carry heavy boxes marked “team lift”, get my point!!! Just because the CDC said so does not mean it’s absolute truth. Don’t blindly follow and remember we live under a representative republic. At 66 yrs am living life!
Most wear a mask as directed by the governor and health experts. When I go out I wear a mask. This helps the community and business to be able to reopen. If you don’t want to wear stay away or inside.
How about the people who are scared stay home or do what they feel is necessary but leave the rest of us to make our own safety decisions?
Masks. We live in a small (300 ppl) ranch town in SD. They’re usually not worn here. However when we go shopping in Rapid City we usually see quite a few in use. Walmart — about 25 % of customers and 100% of employees. Grocery stores — about 75% of customers and of course 100% of employees. Hardware stores — about 50% of customers .
Wife reports that yard goods stores (sewing stuff) is just about 100% of everybody.
We’ve seen most people wear masks in Oregon (where it’s mandated but protested), especially in more urban areas; a mix here in the Boise area (no mask mandate here) but only where the store or restaurant requires it; and we didn’t see any masks in far western Montana a few months ago where we were in a county without cases when we left. Now that MT county has over 20 cases, which locals were anticipating because more people were beginning to travel through when we left.
We choose to vote with our feet. If we’re in a store or restaurant or service agency and don’t feel safe–for whatever reason–we leave. Did that the other day when we stopped into a tire store to see about getting the tires rotated on our toad. No masks on anyone in the business–so we left. They’re free to be maskless, I guess; but we’re also free to take our business where we feel comfortable.
No it’s not “you guess”, they are free to wear or not. Scary how many of you so easily comply.
I don’t even say this as a joke, if TV started telling you barking like a dog strengthens your lungs against covid…
I’d suddenly find myself surrounded by people barking like dogs and scolding me for not.
Having fun making all your snarky replies?
My wife is a nurse at a private nursing home (this is a very well run nursing home). This is a nursing home that has nursing home residents, assisted living residents and senior housing residents. They are very strict in the their Covid 19 procedures, masks are a must, all employees need to change out of their street clothes and into uniforms when they arrive, provided by the facility, and change back into their street clothes when finishing their shift. No family members were allowed to visit in-person except for approved hospise residents, and then only a strict few were allowed to visit. At the beginning of August a part-time cook tested positive for the virus. The facility tested 75 employees/residents and all were negative. The same 75 people were tested 2 days later and all were negative. Masks DO reduce the infection rate significantly. They DO work.
So why didn’t this nursing home wear masks before? There were/are tons of nasty things in the air, on surfaces, etc besides covid.
What evidence do you have that wearing masks did anything? Were people there dying in droves before masking?
FTR, I certainly agree that people who are ederly and/or have other health problems should always be more cautious, forcing it on everyone is ridiculous.
Matt, come on. You have to know already that SARS-CoV-2 is an entirely new virus previously unknown to humans, which means we have zero, zip, diddly, NO defenses against it, on top of which it’s ridiculously easily transmitted. We have zero treatments in place and professionals are still learning about it even as we scramble to deal with it. Adding to the complexity is how differently people who get it are reacting to it. As to nursing homes and related types of living situations, stop for a second and use some common sense. My own MIL is in an assisted living center and has been for 3 years now. They didn’t require masks or stringent protocols because they **didn’t need to**. The nasties always prevalent are known quantities and people are used to them. They have trained staff and established routines for dealing with normal illnesses. Otherwise who’d trust their relatives or themselves in any assisted facility? Or to a hospital for that matter?
Mask wearing seems to be mostly a political statement, not a public health thing.
Bingo! Everytime I’ve tried to discuss this with someone they almost immediately bring up Trump.
I don’t even like Trump, I don’t like either party (oop, just alienated 99% of ya didn’t I?).
I hate that most people’s views on this are based on partisanship, not evidence.
Wearing the mask isn’t a political, but NOT wearing one sure is. For those who fear wearing a mask, what other articles of clothing do you demand freedom from?
Most people here do wear their masks – and properly, covering their nose too.
We’ve been traveling from South Georgia since 6/15. It all depends on the state: Wyoming, no; Montana, more; Oregon (only to visit family), most. It wasn’t a big deal while traveling through the middle of the country in mid-June. There seem to be more restrictions on personal freedoms every day. Don’t hate…just our opinion.
I visit two or three stores in my trips to town. I put my mask on at the first store and don’t touch or remove it until I exit the last store.
It’s almost impossible to remove a mask and put it back on without contaminating it or you. If you need to remove it between stores, use a separate mask for each and then either wash them between uses or let them sit for a week on the dash of your car in the sun.
Are you serious?
Rural western Montana. We see quite a few people who won’t mask up. Businesses carefully word the signs on the door to reflect it is the governor’s order that masks be worn, to be compliant with the order, yet won’t enforce it (and have stated publicly they won’t & won’t check for a valid reason). Some masked people shoot dirty looks at the unmasked; some unmasked do the same to the masked. When we go into a big town we see a much higher percentage of masks, probably because in town a business is more likely to be cited for not enforcing it.
Maybe I need to move to rural MO.
Ohio has bent the curve and our daily numbers have held steady to gone down due to increased mask wearing. However in one local county which tends toward a certain political view, mask wearing rate is lower and their infection rate is higher than other counties.
You have links to proof of this?
BTW cases doesn’t = deaths or even sickness, it means you have the antibodies, which is a good thing.
Yes Everyone in the Florida keys wares a mask in public. All workers in evey store and restauraunts. I have not seen one person in non-compliance. We are a small family down here and we all want to keep eachother safe. I can definatley say I feel safe down here. I can’t say the same further north. I visited Crystal River a few months ago and every one looked at us like we were crazy!! Barely anyone wote a mask. Some did however put one on after seeing us in the store with one so thats a plus.