Mask on, mask off; the bumpy road to normal has arrived. In the NJ, NY, and Ct., the governors have removed most restrictions but mask-wearing is still required, yet the CDC says you can now go into many public places maskless if you were vaccinated. Confused yet? Some say they are not ready to do this and will continue wearing a mask in public. To make things more confusing, major retailers nationally are lifting mask requirements yet in NJ, the governor still requires them. Recently, the NY Times has discussed the fact that we are rusty at just being normal. Normal is not mask-wearing and if you were vaccinated or had covid-19 you are part of our growing herd immunity. Major concert tours are now beginning to occur, and as more of us attend, we will begin to realize it is safe. Was it unsafe before or was there a small risk of becoming ill? Statistically, there was a small risk. Now, as the numbers of infections plummet both here and nationally, those risks are ever so small. Isn’t this proof that it’s ok to go maskless again? The NY Times recently wrote a piece on this. Check it out below Mask On or Off? Life Is Getting Back to Normal, and We’re Rusty. After the C.D.C. issued new guidelines, people are figuring out how to proceed. Some want to keep their face coverings on: “It saves me having to put on sunscreen.” By Matt Richtel Published April 29, 2021 Mark Rasch hopped on his bike Tuesday in Bethesda, Md., pedaled off for an afternoon ride, and realized he forgot his mask. As he turned back for it, news came on the radio over his earbuds: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said masks were no longer required outdoors for fully vaccinated people unless they were in a crowd. Mr. Rasch, a lawyer, rode on, naked from nose to chin for the first time in a year. He reached nearby Georgetown and found he was nearly alone in that almost everyone else there remained masked. “I wondered if there was a store I could go into without wearing a mask to buy a mask,” he said. Instead, he went home, and told his wife: “Nothing is changing, but it’s happening quickly.” Read more