Originally published at: Some people have decided they are always going to wear face masks from now on | Boing Boing
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I think most professional singers know this, but wonder how much just not singing is helping her health. It’s a tricky thing to sing all the time, and chronic laryngitis is a thing. Not saying it’s her fault, the US is shit at affordable health care and preventative medicine.
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Didn’t our general social distancing and mask wearing during the pandemic contribute to people not spreading the usual germs? Colds and the flu were down this past year because we weren’t spreading them. When life gets back to normal (whatever that might look like) and her coffeeshop / record store if full of peps and she’s on stage singing into a microphone she may be in the same boat again. For some people, masks might be around to stay.
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who works at a coffee shop-cum-record store
Look, I like Latin as much as the next homo, but there’s no reason to use “cum” like this anymore. It means something else now. The cum ship has sailed.
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Did it have a lot of sailors?
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I believe the term is “seamen.”
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I get it, but as soon as this epidemic has subsided and the bulk of danger to myself and others has passed, I will be glad to be rid of wearing a mask when venturing into public spaces.
As an American, though, I am now considering donning a bullet-proof vest when venturing into public spaces.
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cum sail away, cum sail away
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This was a navy ship and they prefer to call them se—
Uh, never mind.
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This is me. I am going to wear a mask in public for the rest of my life.
While I suspect that politicians will someday declare the COVID-19 pandemic “over,” I don’t believe the reality of that. America has too many people refusing to be vaccinated for us ever to reach so-called herd immunity. Huge parts of the world are lucky if they even have access to the vaccine. The result is a vast population breeding COVID-19 mutants, which eventually will sidestep the current vaccines.
Of course, the conditions that produced COVID-19 in the first place are still out there. Whether our next pandemic is COVID-22 or Ebola-22 or something else, we are going to see a new pandemic very, very soon. And that’s not even considering how easy it might be for biohackers to create their own fun Armageddon diseases.
As horrific as COVID has been, I suspect we were very lucky this was our pandemic primer. The really deadly stuff is on its way, and permanent face masks are only the start.
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Not to mention the ways masks help with seasonal pollen allergies, or wildfire smoke. I’d be glad to never have a stranger breathe on me, ever again.
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And the mask sure helps when exposed to bad halitosis, BO, and secondhand smoke.
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That option is on the table for this Papasan, for real.
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Yup. I hadn’t had a cold for a year. Then I got one last week and it was an absolute bastard. I was off sick for a week. Either my immune system has gotten fat & lazy like the rest of me, or cold viruses have been working out.
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Depends on whether the halitosis is coming from inside the mask 
But seriously, the masks has made me way more stringent about brushing my teeth right before every time I leave the house.
And I echo others’ sentiments. I probably won’t don the full N95 all the time, but even a cloth covering helps some, and I’ll be very likely to keep using. And am going to keep up my hand washing habits!
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I am sure some people will - in at least some situations.
I even told someone bitching about masks - mark my words, you are going to have to fight for the right to cover your face in the near future.
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I like leaving an opening for others.
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Bump, set, spike.
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Well, it’s more fun when you’re not playing with yourself.
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