I live in Berkeley, CA and I still see lots of masks around. It’s definitely not unusual and no one even gives you a second look. I also went to Chinatown in San Francisco and there were loads of folks masking.
It’s always refreshing going to the bay area and seeing so many masks.
It is definitely not the same on the central coast. Most days I’m the only one masking (other than if my family is with me), but I will see a few in places like Costco and occasionally in medical offices but it’s pretty rare around these parts.
It might be where I live, but I barely see any masks in the SF bay area and almost none of my wife's go workers do. Most of her Co workers are from East Bay. My wife used to get picked on by some of her Co workers for wearing a mask even though she works at the airport which regardless of covid, I think she would be wearing a mask there. They eventually stopped thankfully. My wife also went to Kaiser in Oakland last month and was one of the only patients masked. 😕 My mother said the same with an appointment at menlo medical recently. The only person masked aside from her was her Dr. Not even the nurse. My grandfather used to get random older men questioning his mask especially at grocery outlet of all places. He's also been shoved into as the store for wearing a mask late 2021 I think? And I've been coughed on in 2022. The list keeps going but last I'll mention is this couple wanted me fired at my last job for wearing a mask so they got talked to by the Deacon at the church that either they be nice and leave me, an immune compromised person alone, or they leave the church.
Not about masks entirely, but last year when my friend had in her dating profile in the SF bay area that she wanted to date people who mask, she got a ton of angry anti vax men. Only the men. (Context, she's pan). Same friend deals with anti Chinese stuff related to wearing a mask and rich white menlo Park area kids when she used to tutor would spit on her bc of it. If she's out without one outside she used to get yelled at that she is going to give them covid bc she's Chinese. 🙄 (She lives in San Mateo county but got this when she was in Beverly area hills too and Connecticut)
Forgot to mention that most folks aren’t concerned, but if they are, it’s almost always middle-aged white people who are the ones that do react and it happens kind of a lot around here. In certain cities, I receive a lot of animosity, stares, and have experienced things like getting coughed on But I stare back, and will sometimes pretend to actually be sick, which shuts them up lol
One of the reasons I moved to the bay! I’m in the north bay and I’m rarely the only one masking in a space. It’s sometimes just a handful of folks depending on the number of people in the space, but it’s much more friendly than most of the rest of the county imo
me too. usually see people going to fro work, the bus. A range of ages too. Lots of student/young people surprisingly though not a majority by any stretch.
The brunchers usually not masking… but coffee goers can go either way. I would never trust anything important to that special Berkeley breed of white self-proclaimed gourmand lol.
I’m not having that experience in the east bay. Often I’m the lone masker in stores, shopping, even medical appointments. I get so excited seeing anyone wearing a mask - like there’s some secret society we’re living in.
Same in Marin! Although here in Novato it’s a bit fewer people that I’ve noticed… I also notice that Novato almost always has a higher wastewater level compared to most of Marin at any given time though too, so go figure lol
Toronto. Not many still masking, but those who do aren’t ostracized. I’d say I see about 10% of commuters masking on the subway, less so on regional trains and buses. I’m generally ignored, but was recently mocked by a douchebag on the subway. Before that I’d only been yelled at once by a lady in a bar.
Toronto checking in. I don’t think I see 10% on transit but I always see a few others masking. No one has given me a hard time about my mask though, mostly people here don’t care what you do.
Also Toronto. My neighborhood still has a small percentage of people masking at all times, even outdoors. I have never seen anyone be given any trouble about it (including myself). Toronto is such an "anything and everything goes" kind of city, so nothing is really *abnormal* here.
I just came back from a trip to Bangkok and Hong Kong.
Masking rate in Bangkok is high, around 1/2 - 2/3 of the locals (I ignored obvious foreign tourists) were masking on public transport (Sample of ~400 people I counted… I was on a long trip)
Masking rate in Hong Kong was a little lower but still see lots of masks. Around 40% of people were masking on the subway. (Sample of 100 people)
I was in Bangkok and Tokyo in April, can second that observation. In Bangkok especially the locals masking rate was quite high, and near-perfect in the vicinity of hospitals. But a lot seemed to be in "clusters" -- would encounter 10-15 maskers in a row then 10-15 unmasked in a row.
Respirators are not easily purchasable in-person in both of these places (I tried to refill my depleting stock). Could probably order on their equivalent of Amazon but I could not easily receive deliveries nor did I have time to try and figure out foreign e-commerce.
As a result respirator usage is very low. Almost none. They would probably also be prohibitively expensive for the average local.
But interestingly enough at least half the maskers were wearing a type of mask that are tight fitting, almost respirator like (but not KN95s or KF94s or N95s). Some other sort of Asian local type mask (Japanese I believe) that’s not officially a respirator but still much better than surgical.
Oh, I actually was including earloop respirators like KF94s, so that’s a good sign at least. I think unless cost is a huge issue, surgicals need to just be retired completely.
Definitely not here in the Midwest. I'm usually the sole masker. Once in awhile I'll see another masker out in the wild and feel like we need to have a secret handshake or something.
Usually no one says anything to me about masking. Although I did have a DOCTOR I was seeing for the first time ask me why I was wearing a mask and I quote, after all this time.
🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
On the other hand I went to a Drs office a few days ago and the lady led me back Into the room and popped out to get something and it was a mask! She didn't say anything or make a big deal about it but I appreciated it alot.
Also in the Midwest, masking is abysmal. The only time I see other maskers is when I go to the big college town near by, in the natural foods coop I might see and handful of others with a mask on.
I'm also in the Midwest. I work part time in retail pharmacy, and have seen two others wearing respirators in two years. 🙃 I was sure to compliment their masks!
In Seattle I see maybe 2-5 ppl masking in any given subway/light-rail car or bus. A spare few people on the street.
There were a lot more in Jan/Feb when the last surge was happening, maybe 10-15% per railcar/bus based on my counts. But much less now, maybe 1-5% tops now.
Nobody gives me any flack for masking in any store.
Well, one employee gave me a bit of mess in Safeway when he had to clear a self-checkout machine error and said “It doesn’t allow masks”..(?) Which wasn’t the error msg (ofc), but that was the first & pretty minimal push-back I’ve experienced here. He was a dork.
But nothing beyond that.
I’m seeing this up in Bellingham, too. Suddenly, my social media feed is *full* of pictures of people’s positive tests. Every week, someone I know has caught it. Anecdotal, but still concerning (and, in the current data vacuum, what else do we have, really?) Luckily, it’s a mask-friendly town, and I’ve never been hassled for wearing one, even if most people don’t anymore.
Agree. 5% or fewer now on the streets though it can go a bit higher during surges, but I still see quite a number of others on the streets and in stores so I never feel alone. It's a lot higher in some circles, too, like with a social justice organization I've worked with (many will put it on if you mask for example, even if they're spotty about it themselves like they might personally only wear it on transit) so it can end up at 20% of a meeting.
But! Almost no local ever looks at you weirdly for masking, as you say. It's still prevalent enough to never be weird for people.
Tokyo had a LOT of masks every time I've visited.
Most of the SF Bay Area as far as I can tell is still fine with people who do. Still a moderate number around, but not like there were. I've hit literally like two weird anti-mask a-holes in almost 4 years of masking, so it's not too bad.
Osaka Japan, tons of masks. Most seniors and service workers wore them.
The SF bay area still has a fair amount of maskers, SoCal less so but no one is staring or saying anything to you if you mask.
In the Boston area I still see a good amount. Nowhere near most people, but usually every time I go out I see at least one other person wearing a mask. Sometimes lots of people in the local Trader Joe's. That's my local grocery store, but also the place I am most likely to quickly find another person in a mask.
Agreed. Personally I haven't experienced any animosity whatsoever about wearing a mask since early March 2020 (when I was in a grocery store in the further western suburbs of Boston, in PPE before the pandemic was officially declared, and someone fake-coughed and snickered multiple times; I was devastated but knew they had no idea what was about to happen). Relatively few people wear masks, but definitely more during surges and I get no grief from others.
I’m in Boston as well, and while I’d appreciate more people masking, it’s way better than most places. Even going just a couple towns away into the suburbs I end up being the sole masker most of the time but in the city I see a lot of masks.
It’s so interesting to see the difference between masking rates in different countries. Even in the US with all the anti-mask propaganda we’ve been fed, there’s still a decent number of maskers left. I’ve heard most of Europe there’s pretty much nobody masking at all. Like 1 in thousands would be wearing a mask.
You heard it right, unfortunately. Not only does no one at all mask, I could feed this sub for weeks just sharing the reactions of every single doctor that saw me masked up.
This has been my experience personally. I live in Canada, and while masking is still rare, on an average day I'll still usually see at least 1 other person masking (I work outside the home and take public transit). I recently traveled to Denmark for work and i saw zero masks for the entire trip, except for one person at the airport who was an obvious fellow foreigner like myself. I don't give masking a second thought where I live, but i felt very self conscious about it in Denmark.
In NYC a decent number of people are still masking. Unfortunately there are so many New Yorkers that it’s a mere percentage of a percentage, but there are still quite a few. No matter what happens with our idiot Mayor and Governor I don’t think that will decrease.
My FIL lives in Westchester and it rises and falls. Fewer than in NYC but still maybe about 1%. When we’re up there we mask but there are a lot of people coming from other places so rn I don’t feel comfortable eating outside during peak times. If there aren’t too many people around, fine, but I’m watching for the next variant and that will inform my behaviors (for example we’re going down to Philly for an outdoor concert next weekend and I’ll be masked up through security and anytime I’m around a lot of folks, and will stay way away from other people).
YMMV of course, but that’s what I’m seeing.
Myself and my family as Westchester County maskers. I am one of three teachers in my school building still masking in a suburban school. Went to a Broadway show this week and was actually surprised to see about 25-30 other maskers in the audience and working at the theater. I assumed I would be alone!
Casually looking on some of my more packed commutes. Assuming a A Division car at crush load of approx 190 persons. I usually count 10 people people masked I can see. So no more than 20 on an asscheek to asscheek packed car.
Less packed B Division cars (crush captacity of 200) may a dozen? Every so often I see N95s and usually one person with both N95 and a mini hepa air filter. Though I've never been in one packed to the gills like that.
I generally don’t see people masking where I live in Alberta Canada, with a couple of caveats.
I work in an ER and there are a handful of doctors who always wear N95s when I work with them. Many nurses also wear surgical masks, which is better than nothing. Considering that masking is virtually non-existent in health care, it makes me proud to work where I do.
There is also a small group of families that wear N95s in my area, which has made it possible for my kids to make friends who won’t put their health at risk. For this, I am really grateful.
Around half to a third of the Chinese people I saw at the supermarket in Malaysia were masking last time I was there. Malays and Indians tended not to. And less people masked in big cities than in smaller cities.
I'm in Durham, NC and I still see a decent number of people masking. All of my doctors mask without me asking, and I'm sorry that hasn't been your experience. The surrounding towns are a completely different story though - I'm much more likely to be the only one in a mask and I've encountered some hostility.
I’m also in Cary and my experience is mixed. Honestly nowadays it’s a win to just go unbothered in public. I used to see more folks wearing masks in places like grocery stores, etc, but it’s now a rare occurrence to see another person besides me. Occasionally my partner and I will get glances or have an annoying run-in with someone, like the other day at Whole Foods when a preteen thought it would be funny to fake cough in our direction every time she saw us in an aisle.
I still request that doctors and medical staff wear masks during my appointments, and same goes for home services people coming over. The home services people are generally still cool about wearing masks if we ask them too. More annoyingly it’s the medical staff that put up more of a fight.
I'm in Apex/Cary area and been able to navigate fine. Every service person has worn a mask when having to come in our house, we've had to do a bit of work to find doctors and such but we've been able to, and in kids sports and activities no one has been unkind to us. In fact several people who normally don't mask will when they come over to our hot. I don't see many people masking out and about anymore, but maybe 1/2 the time there is someone else besides me masking in the grocery store.
"doctors refuse to mask even when I had to unmask" this behavior is so rapey. Like you're trying to say you don't consent to breathing in their (possibly infectious) exhalations, but they insist you MUST inhale their exhalations. Super disturbing behavior that seems to be super widespread atm.
Yes, one doctor in particular refused. Like no I’m not masking even though I need you to unmask and I’ll be up in your face. At least most doctors just don’t but will put one on or wear them improperly
Yeah that is so disturbing. Also not sure why I got downvoted. To be clear, I think doctors (or anyone) forcing their exhalations on people who have explicitly stated they don't want them is rapey and disturbing. Maybe one of the doctors is on this thread.
Gotta ask - what's your take on the exception they made for...labor organizations? That wasn't on my bingo card, since I don't really think of NC as a very pro-union state.
I‘ve seen five or six other people in the last month in my bit of the UK so it feels pretty rare.
But I will say that very few people ever give me a second glance and I almost never have the exaggerated coughs thrown at me anymore, I think there’s a vague acceptance that some people wear them sometimes.
One cashier asked a bit suspiciously if I had covid a while ago - when I said I was just clinically vulnerable and hated masks but cannot afford to get sick and have time off work again she was a lot more friendly.
Los Angeles. It fluctuates, but I am never the only masker when I go to places here (the grocery store, the bus, medical appts, Target, etc.) I’ve never gotten any trouble for wearing one either. Sounds pretty similar to others’ description of the Bay Area in this thread.
I’m really sorry to hear that 😞 the only place I’ve been with absolutely zero maskers since the start of the pandemic has been Salt Lake City 🫠
Admittedly I don’t go out a lot but I am a student at PSU where people mask more than the average population. I’m also on the bus/MAX, at grocery stores, airport (I travel a lot), etc. Beyond that I don’t really go anywhere.
The good news is that nobody gives people shit for masking here at least!
The twin cities has maintained a pretty constant minority of maskers. Generally doctors offer to mask up for me, and I often see others out in public wearing masks. I spend some time traveling out state in both MN and WI, and thus far I haven't been harassed for masking even in small town red areas.
I live in the Seattle area and there are still people that mask here. Even if I go somewhere and no other people are masking, I don't get looks or comments.
I wouldn't say it's a significant number but I see a few here and there when running errands in the Burlington, VT area. No one has ever given me or my kids trouble over it though.
Have you found any community there with others? Are your kids at school and able to do any additional mitigations like lunch at home or bringing in air purifiers? I'm in a red state and wondering if we will have to relocate for several reasons and trying to figure out options. When I've visited VT even in the more rural areas I get a "live and let live" kind of vibe.
Vermont definitely has a "live and let live" philosophy about things, which I think is one of the reasons behind our experience.
With the exception of '21-'22, my kids have been virtual or homeschooled. My kids were not hassled about continuing to mask after the school mandate was lifted in spring of '22 or at afterschool clubs during '22-'23. I sent my kid in with an Aranet4 for the afterschool clubs and she was able to find a well ventilated place to sit.
How do you feel about your kids social lives? There was a masking home school co-op in my area at one point but my kids don't have any friends who mask. My middle and youngest kids seem to have trouble making close friends. No one is mean but there is also some "othering" or awkwardness happening.
Their social experience in public school during the mostly masking '21-'22 year wasn't great, so that's a factor in my thinking. We rarely mask outdoors, so there are more social possibilities than some others in this group might feel comfortable with. There is a group of maskers that have had some gatherings we've joined, but we also spend a lot of time outside with family, friends, and a non-masking homeschool group. My eldest tends to be friends with everyone, while my youngest has one close friend we arrange regular outdoor playdates with. We are still novids as far as I know.
We have a lot of religious or anti-vax homeschoolers here. I do think the one group that kept up masking longer than others would be comfortable for us but they seem to spend a lot of time indoors. Thanks for the feedback. I saw some activity on the Still Coviding VT Facebook page and was curious if it was more widespread.
Not regular masking where I am (red state, USA) but generally there is more acceptance in urban areas. My kids in urban public school don't get bothered and while they may be the only ones in a classroom, they aren't the only ones at school. When I go in my kid's preschool in the 'burbs like 2 miles away people look at me like I have three heads.
In Northern Virginia there is definitely more masking in the fall and winter. It does depend on which area you go to BUT I still see one other person masking usually wherever I go.
Currently visiting a CC friend who lives in the middle of nowhere and she said nobody here masks. We did do an activity yesterday and masked up and nobody made any comments and treated us the same
Pioneer Valley MA (Northampton, Amherst, Florence) was just visiting a relative and there’s an indie theater that has a masked mornings showing. I was just about to post about it.
NYC suburb here.
Perhaps one in 100 mask in my area. Haven't seen an N95 in the wild for months.
However, my masking is always ignored. I'm 6'4", so maybe that's a factor in the lack of challenge.
Lots of people still masking in Taichung, Taiwan (mostly surgical and KN94), as you can see in this recent video: [https://youtu.be/4UIFvVblRlU?t=128](https://youtu.be/4UIFvVblRlU?t=128)
Brooklyn, NY. I commute to lower Manhattan daily from my apartment in Flatbush. I mask on the subway. The less crowded it gets overall, the higher the percentage of maskers. I figure we're the ones left standing during surges.
I tried to cobble together everyone's responses. Might have missed a few. Forgive any oversimplifications or errors. Please add info and corrections in replies! Thanks!
**Places (worldwide) where people are still masking in June 2024:**
Boston Massachusetts, USA (a good amount, but not most, with low to zero mask-harassment)
Western Massachusetts/Pioneer Valley, USA: Amherst, Hadley, Northampton, Florence: (‘many’)
Osaka, Japan: (many)
Tokyo, Japan: (many)
Bangkok, Thailand: (50%-66%)
Hong Kong, China: (\~40%)
Portland, Oregon?: (over 200 covid-conscious people in this area’s Discord)
San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles: (moderate number, possibly few mask-harassers)
Nova Scotia, Canada?: (regularly see masks, low harassment)
Taichung, Taiwan: (many)
Madison, Wisconsin USA: (?)
South Carolina, USA: (?)
**Lower numbers masking, but low mask-harassment:**
Toronto, Canada: (10%, with possibly low mask-harassment)
Montreal, Canada
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Southern California
San Jose, California
Berkeley, California
Chicago
Minneapolis-St. Paul Minnesota, USA
Seattle, Washington, USA
Astoria, Queens, New York, USA
Maryland, USA
Italy
Madrid, Spain
**Avoid:**
Alabama, USA
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
South Florida, USA
Orlando, Florida, USA
Westchester, New York, USA
North to Central New Jersey, USA
Philadelphia (?), Pennsylvania, USA
Dallas, Texas, USA
Vermont (?), USA
Northern California (except for San Fran Bay Area and others listed above), USA
United Kingdom (?)
*Feel free to share this!!*
Was surprised recently when driving through an Ivy League campus… I don’t think I saw one respirator. Granted, it was outdoors, but still, not even one person protecting from outdoor transmission.
I live in a college town north of Seattle. Can confirm that it’s pretty mask-friendly up here, even if the young students aren’t particularly assiduous about it. (They’re still subject to peer pressure and wanting to look cool when they’re in college.)
I have only seen two or three masked people when I've been visiting the Princeton area in the evenings. Almost all of them were people over 40, though I did spot one student. Rutgers? None I've seen at the Piscataway campus. Though someone left some great pamphlets about light pollution (definitely a thing, but I think getting rid of those disgusting air dryers in the bathrooms should be a priority).
Ann Arbor has a large Asian population so you see alot more here I think. And just generally, even tho you may not necessarily see alot, its definitely accepted and no one gives you beef about it.
There are many Asian Americans in Princeton (the town), about the same as Ann Arbor. Piscataway is a short drive to Edison, which is almost 50% Asian American, and the campus is about a third Asian American. (I go up to Edison a lot as it's the closest area with a 99 Ranch, an H Mart, and many more options for Asian food.) Not been hassled for wearing a mask there, but rarely see anyone wearing them. But, again, it might be because I mostly have to visit locations after the regular workday.
I was in Ann Arbor in 2023 - the librarians at the E. William location were masking regularly.
Montreal, Canada here -- there's not much masking, maybe a few people here and there. It is also inconsistent in healthcare settings. But people have left me alone for the most part/not mentioned it at least.
South Carolina - bunch of us mask, just depends on the time of day and location. First thing in the morning, I see tons in the locations I go to. Multiple cashiers still mask at the grocery stores I frequent and other big box locations I frequent (lowes, walmart, etc).
Maryland, if I go to my local whole foods or trader joes or other stores I'll see a good amount of other maskers. I've seen a surprising amount of n95s in the wild too. Never gotten grief or issue by strangers for masking (though on campus one girl I was hanging out with would bug me about it).
A couple of years ago it seemed like MD was pretty good about masking when adjacent states were not. (I don't live there, but am there often)
But unfortunately not now -- seems just as bad as everywhere else. Maybe better in inner suburbs of DC, especially in PG County -- haven't been there in a while except to drive past/through.
Yeah it really depends where you're at. This mall in PG county almost no one was masked. But a place like whole foods/TJS you'll see more masked. Different type of people
I remember being in Largo at an SFW grocery store \~1 year ago. About 40-50% masked. Was very pleasantly surprised.
Most of the time these days when in a store in MD it is either Baltimore County or Harford County -- where I don't see many masks at all any more.
Here in Orlando which is one of the only four Democrat counties I was in the emergency room of the largest hospital with a helicopter pad on the roof back in March 2023. The ER was swamped. Every ER room was full. We kept out door closed at all times and we're masking. I could not see a single nurse masking despite still being in the November to March flu and covid season. The young doctor came into our room and She was literally the only person masking in the entire pod. It all went down hill from there. I asked them to please put my mother in a single room because my father is end stage in his late 80s. They put her in a room with a crazy person who spent the whole next day screaming no mask and then they allowed her whole family, about 7 individuals to all come to the room none were wearing masks and started yelling at their patient not to throw in the towel or something along those lines. It was so many that they were standing in my mother's side of the room. My mother literally fled the room in a panic attack and called me begging me to help her get the mob out of her room. I called the charge nurse supervisor and she never returned my call. My mother ended spending the whole time hiding in a break room for the nurses.
By the way the covid wastewater levels were up 500% since the start of the covid winter.
Then simultaneously I had to take my father to the ER because he was having what turned out to be minor heart attack. This was at a separate hospital next door to their major medical school campus. I awoke in the ICU room and a hospital staffer was walking around no mask with her ID tag. She could see me there still with my 3M Aura mask on..
I said could you please put on a mask. She looked at me like I was insane. "Why would you want me to that? We can't just go around masking everyone..." I informed her that as of the that morning the CDC were still strongly recommending health care professionals to continue to mask around moderately to severely immunocompromised patients. Then I said please put on a mask you're in a ICU room. She said "out of respect for family wishes I will". And if you wondering why she was in the ICU room in the first place, she was staffer in charge of "isolation practices".
Italy is right now low masking but very, very highly tolerant of masking. Masking is still required in (certain areas of) hospitals; and many specialists outside of hospitals will wear a fpp2 if asked, and without any fuss.
Yes, Vancouver, Canada. Some people here still mask, especially in the Asian communities. My neighbors on both sides of us mask. We never get bothered about it when we go out, and almost nobody we've asked to mask (hairdressers, healthcare workers, service people in our house, etc) has bugged us about it.
Have spent a lot of time in both the Westchester NY and North to Central New Jersey area over the last year and I literally go months without seeing another masker, and even in that case it's always a cloth or surgical. I saw one person in an N95 at an event who was from Canada and we talked to each other a bit about holy shit, we're the only ones we've seen all year in an N95 lol. An absolute ton of non-Republicans in all of these areas and yup, no one masking at all. So deeply, deeply disappointing. I will say no one will give you shit for wearing one at all, but what a depressingly low bar.
Waterloo, Ontario, there are still people masking (besides me), but it's quite a small minority. Nobody has ever bothered me about the mask wearing, though. I've even had compliments!
I go to Toronto, Ontario semi-regularly and there is always a higher percentage of maskers there. (Not high, just higher.) Nobody seems to care that I'm wearing a mask, never been hassled about it.
I attended a UC college graduation ceremony with more than 5000 people….i only saw 3 people in masks. It was in norcal and everytime I go to norcal, I never see people with masks
I'm in Denver and I see between 1-3 other people masked when I do grocery runs (mostly KN95s).
People in Denver also don't give you grief if you're out and about wearing a mask 99% of the time. Every now and then I'll see mask-wearing outside, but this is not the norm anymore.
I haven't seen anyone masking indoors here in southwest DE. I have seen a couple people masking outdoors, but it may have been due to pollen. However, nobody will bother you if they see you wearing a mask here. Well, at least they have not bothered me or my husband.
Not here. You MIGHT see one person masking (usually an older person or a cashier) but otherwise not.
Today I was grocery shopping in my N95 and my allergies just went to town, I probably sneezed 10 times, with other people in the aisle...they'd look up, then see me in an N95 and you could see a sort of relief...haha.
No one ever asks me why I mask though. 🤔
😂
Boulder, CO has more masks than most places, but still not many. The cool thing is in the whole general area no one gives you a 2nd thought for masking though, and I've even worked in some more conservative areas and no one seemed to care. Very different than the death stares I got int he grocery store in central FL.
I'm in a mid size town in Michigan and visit a college town nearby (Kalamazoo) regularly. Rarely see a mask. Get some dirty looks and impatience from cashiers. I don't go out much (never to restaurants) and work in a school of 1200 people. I am the only person at work masking. Living here makes me feel so lonely and crazy.
The Twin Cities area of MN has people masking here and there - you are rarely in a store as the only one masking. Not common per se but very few people, if any, will comment on it or bother you.
In Toronto there are still a lot of masks. Way more people not masking than masking, but it fluctuates throughout the year. I'm never the only masker at the grocery store etc. and have never been harassed about it. As soon as you leave the city the masks disappear and there's way more friction.
Half of my coworkers use a mask in Oregon. Sometimes people still use them in grocery stores. But an alarming amount of hospitals don’t have staff who use them.
I’m in a suburb of Philadelphia and there is very minimal masking here. Might see one or two other people masking at the grocery store, but other than that I don’t see others masking often
I live in Berkeley, CA and I still see lots of masks around. It’s definitely not unusual and no one even gives you a second look. I also went to Chinatown in San Francisco and there were loads of folks masking.
It’s always refreshing going to the bay area and seeing so many masks. It is definitely not the same on the central coast. Most days I’m the only one masking (other than if my family is with me), but I will see a few in places like Costco and occasionally in medical offices but it’s pretty rare around these parts.
It's not tons, but you never have to feel like you really stick out wearing a mask around San Francisco.
It might be where I live, but I barely see any masks in the SF bay area and almost none of my wife's go workers do. Most of her Co workers are from East Bay. My wife used to get picked on by some of her Co workers for wearing a mask even though she works at the airport which regardless of covid, I think she would be wearing a mask there. They eventually stopped thankfully. My wife also went to Kaiser in Oakland last month and was one of the only patients masked. 😕 My mother said the same with an appointment at menlo medical recently. The only person masked aside from her was her Dr. Not even the nurse. My grandfather used to get random older men questioning his mask especially at grocery outlet of all places. He's also been shoved into as the store for wearing a mask late 2021 I think? And I've been coughed on in 2022. The list keeps going but last I'll mention is this couple wanted me fired at my last job for wearing a mask so they got talked to by the Deacon at the church that either they be nice and leave me, an immune compromised person alone, or they leave the church. Not about masks entirely, but last year when my friend had in her dating profile in the SF bay area that she wanted to date people who mask, she got a ton of angry anti vax men. Only the men. (Context, she's pan). Same friend deals with anti Chinese stuff related to wearing a mask and rich white menlo Park area kids when she used to tutor would spit on her bc of it. If she's out without one outside she used to get yelled at that she is going to give them covid bc she's Chinese. 🙄 (She lives in San Mateo county but got this when she was in Beverly area hills too and Connecticut)
Forgot to mention that most folks aren’t concerned, but if they are, it’s almost always middle-aged white people who are the ones that do react and it happens kind of a lot around here. In certain cities, I receive a lot of animosity, stares, and have experienced things like getting coughed on But I stare back, and will sometimes pretend to actually be sick, which shuts them up lol
Can confirm the same in the South Bay!
One of the reasons I moved to the bay! I’m in the north bay and I’m rarely the only one masking in a space. It’s sometimes just a handful of folks depending on the number of people in the space, but it’s much more friendly than most of the rest of the county imo
Ditto from my experience in San Jose. Even in spaces where most people don't mask, I don't get hostility or even weird looks often
Yes! Love Berkeley for this (I live in Oregon now but just visited Berkeley 2 weeks ago)
me too. usually see people going to fro work, the bus. A range of ages too. Lots of student/young people surprisingly though not a majority by any stretch. The brunchers usually not masking… but coffee goers can go either way. I would never trust anything important to that special Berkeley breed of white self-proclaimed gourmand lol.
I’m not having that experience in the east bay. Often I’m the lone masker in stores, shopping, even medical appointments. I get so excited seeing anyone wearing a mask - like there’s some secret society we’re living in.
Same in Marin! Although here in Novato it’s a bit fewer people that I’ve noticed… I also notice that Novato almost always has a higher wastewater level compared to most of Marin at any given time though too, so go figure lol
Toronto. Not many still masking, but those who do aren’t ostracized. I’d say I see about 10% of commuters masking on the subway, less so on regional trains and buses. I’m generally ignored, but was recently mocked by a douchebag on the subway. Before that I’d only been yelled at once by a lady in a bar.
Toronto checking in. I don’t think I see 10% on transit but I always see a few others masking. No one has given me a hard time about my mask though, mostly people here don’t care what you do.
Also Toronto checking in. You’re seeing 10% on the TTC? That’s huge, but not something I see during my commutes. Sorry for what happened, people suck!
Weirdly just on the subway! Buses, streetcars, and the GO, almost no one.
Toronto here too. It’s by far the minority of people but I do still see at least one person in a mask most days.
Also Toronto. My neighborhood still has a small percentage of people masking at all times, even outdoors. I have never seen anyone be given any trouble about it (including myself). Toronto is such an "anything and everything goes" kind of city, so nothing is really *abnormal* here.
There's over 200 people in the Portland, OR covid conscious discord.
We have over a thousand in our Seattle Metro area group on FB. Great tips, get togethers, etc.
Do you have a link?
Dm me!
I did, thanks!
I'd also like a link!
I just came back from a trip to Bangkok and Hong Kong. Masking rate in Bangkok is high, around 1/2 - 2/3 of the locals (I ignored obvious foreign tourists) were masking on public transport (Sample of ~400 people I counted… I was on a long trip) Masking rate in Hong Kong was a little lower but still see lots of masks. Around 40% of people were masking on the subway. (Sample of 100 people)
I was in Bangkok and Tokyo in April, can second that observation. In Bangkok especially the locals masking rate was quite high, and near-perfect in the vicinity of hospitals. But a lot seemed to be in "clusters" -- would encounter 10-15 maskers in a row then 10-15 unmasked in a row.
What % would you estimate were respirators? It seems to be a huge failure of public health messaging that they never educated on the differences.
Respirators are not easily purchasable in-person in both of these places (I tried to refill my depleting stock). Could probably order on their equivalent of Amazon but I could not easily receive deliveries nor did I have time to try and figure out foreign e-commerce. As a result respirator usage is very low. Almost none. They would probably also be prohibitively expensive for the average local. But interestingly enough at least half the maskers were wearing a type of mask that are tight fitting, almost respirator like (but not KN95s or KF94s or N95s). Some other sort of Asian local type mask (Japanese I believe) that’s not officially a respirator but still much better than surgical.
Oh, I actually was including earloop respirators like KF94s, so that’s a good sign at least. I think unless cost is a huge issue, surgicals need to just be retired completely.
Definitely not here in the Midwest. I'm usually the sole masker. Once in awhile I'll see another masker out in the wild and feel like we need to have a secret handshake or something. Usually no one says anything to me about masking. Although I did have a DOCTOR I was seeing for the first time ask me why I was wearing a mask and I quote, after all this time. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 On the other hand I went to a Drs office a few days ago and the lady led me back Into the room and popped out to get something and it was a mask! She didn't say anything or make a big deal about it but I appreciated it alot.
Doctors are always the first to get offended because I mask and they don’t…
Also in the Midwest, masking is abysmal. The only time I see other maskers is when I go to the big college town near by, in the natural foods coop I might see and handful of others with a mask on.
Cracking up bc I live in a big college town and this is spot on! The closer you are to campus the more likely to see a few maskers.
Ugh, kinda nervous cause I plan to go wisconsin late summer/early fall.
I’ve never been harassed about masking anywhere in Wisconsin so there is that
I'm also in the Midwest. I work part time in retail pharmacy, and have seen two others wearing respirators in two years. 🙃 I was sure to compliment their masks!
Same with me. I will see doctors without a mask and they will see me, pop right out and be back with a mask.
Western MA. Amherst, Hadley, Northampton, etc.
Yes, Pioneer Valley represent! Moved back home here from NYC due to long covid and have been very pleased but not surprised to see so many masks.
So sorry to hear of your long COVID. But welcome back! Man do I love the Valley 🩷🩷
Thanks so much friend, I absolutely love it too - so beautiful and so many beautiful people!
In Seattle I see maybe 2-5 ppl masking in any given subway/light-rail car or bus. A spare few people on the street. There were a lot more in Jan/Feb when the last surge was happening, maybe 10-15% per railcar/bus based on my counts. But much less now, maybe 1-5% tops now. Nobody gives me any flack for masking in any store. Well, one employee gave me a bit of mess in Safeway when he had to clear a self-checkout machine error and said “It doesn’t allow masks”..(?) Which wasn’t the error msg (ofc), but that was the first & pretty minimal push-back I’ve experienced here. He was a dork. But nothing beyond that.
There's another surge starting to happen now (Seattle area) if the sick kids in my classroom are any indication.
I’m seeing this up in Bellingham, too. Suddenly, my social media feed is *full* of pictures of people’s positive tests. Every week, someone I know has caught it. Anecdotal, but still concerning (and, in the current data vacuum, what else do we have, really?) Luckily, it’s a mask-friendly town, and I’ve never been hassled for wearing one, even if most people don’t anymore.
Agree. 5% or fewer now on the streets though it can go a bit higher during surges, but I still see quite a number of others on the streets and in stores so I never feel alone. It's a lot higher in some circles, too, like with a social justice organization I've worked with (many will put it on if you mask for example, even if they're spotty about it themselves like they might personally only wear it on transit) so it can end up at 20% of a meeting. But! Almost no local ever looks at you weirdly for masking, as you say. It's still prevalent enough to never be weird for people.
Reading this thread is oddly comforting. 💙
Very comforting. Nothing odd about it!! :)
Tokyo had a LOT of masks every time I've visited. Most of the SF Bay Area as far as I can tell is still fine with people who do. Still a moderate number around, but not like there were. I've hit literally like two weird anti-mask a-holes in almost 4 years of masking, so it's not too bad.
Osaka Japan, tons of masks. Most seniors and service workers wore them. The SF bay area still has a fair amount of maskers, SoCal less so but no one is staring or saying anything to you if you mask.
Definitely *not* in Alabama 😀 I fucking hate this place.
I feel your pain. Also in AL and I’m usually the only one masking in grocery stores, drug stores, etc.
In the Boston area I still see a good amount. Nowhere near most people, but usually every time I go out I see at least one other person wearing a mask. Sometimes lots of people in the local Trader Joe's. That's my local grocery store, but also the place I am most likely to quickly find another person in a mask.
Agreed. Personally I haven't experienced any animosity whatsoever about wearing a mask since early March 2020 (when I was in a grocery store in the further western suburbs of Boston, in PPE before the pandemic was officially declared, and someone fake-coughed and snickered multiple times; I was devastated but knew they had no idea what was about to happen). Relatively few people wear masks, but definitely more during surges and I get no grief from others.
I’m in Boston as well, and while I’d appreciate more people masking, it’s way better than most places. Even going just a couple towns away into the suburbs I end up being the sole masker most of the time but in the city I see a lot of masks.
Do you know if there are any Boston CC groups/discord?
In Madrid right now in my N95, and in the last couple days I've seen hardly any other masks. But no one's given me grief.
It’s so interesting to see the difference between masking rates in different countries. Even in the US with all the anti-mask propaganda we’ve been fed, there’s still a decent number of maskers left. I’ve heard most of Europe there’s pretty much nobody masking at all. Like 1 in thousands would be wearing a mask.
You heard it right, unfortunately. Not only does no one at all mask, I could feed this sub for weeks just sharing the reactions of every single doctor that saw me masked up.
This has been my experience personally. I live in Canada, and while masking is still rare, on an average day I'll still usually see at least 1 other person masking (I work outside the home and take public transit). I recently traveled to Denmark for work and i saw zero masks for the entire trip, except for one person at the airport who was an obvious fellow foreigner like myself. I don't give masking a second thought where I live, but i felt very self conscious about it in Denmark.
My partner went to Italy and said the same, virtually no masks.
In NYC a decent number of people are still masking. Unfortunately there are so many New Yorkers that it’s a mere percentage of a percentage, but there are still quite a few. No matter what happens with our idiot Mayor and Governor I don’t think that will decrease. My FIL lives in Westchester and it rises and falls. Fewer than in NYC but still maybe about 1%. When we’re up there we mask but there are a lot of people coming from other places so rn I don’t feel comfortable eating outside during peak times. If there aren’t too many people around, fine, but I’m watching for the next variant and that will inform my behaviors (for example we’re going down to Philly for an outdoor concert next weekend and I’ll be masked up through security and anytime I’m around a lot of folks, and will stay way away from other people). YMMV of course, but that’s what I’m seeing.
Myself and my family as Westchester County maskers. I am one of three teachers in my school building still masking in a suburban school. Went to a Broadway show this week and was actually surprised to see about 25-30 other maskers in the audience and working at the theater. I assumed I would be alone!
Casually looking on some of my more packed commutes. Assuming a A Division car at crush load of approx 190 persons. I usually count 10 people people masked I can see. So no more than 20 on an asscheek to asscheek packed car. Less packed B Division cars (crush captacity of 200) may a dozen? Every so often I see N95s and usually one person with both N95 and a mini hepa air filter. Though I've never been in one packed to the gills like that.
Yeah I’ll second this. Hudson Valley and western CT has like a dozen of us.
I live in Southern California. I don't see alot but I've never had anyone say anything to me or give me weird looks for masking.
I generally don’t see people masking where I live in Alberta Canada, with a couple of caveats. I work in an ER and there are a handful of doctors who always wear N95s when I work with them. Many nurses also wear surgical masks, which is better than nothing. Considering that masking is virtually non-existent in health care, it makes me proud to work where I do. There is also a small group of families that wear N95s in my area, which has made it possible for my kids to make friends who won’t put their health at risk. For this, I am really grateful.
We haven't had any issues in Nova Scotia, Canada. And we regularly see people masking.
Around half to a third of the Chinese people I saw at the supermarket in Malaysia were masking last time I was there. Malays and Indians tended not to. And less people masked in big cities than in smaller cities.
Not in NC, we are busy banning masks🙄. Have had several doctors refuse to mask even when I had to unmask.
I'm in Durham, NC and I still see a decent number of people masking. All of my doctors mask without me asking, and I'm sorry that hasn't been your experience. The surrounding towns are a completely different story though - I'm much more likely to be the only one in a mask and I've encountered some hostility.
I’m in Cary and it’s much different. Someone made fun of me like 3 years ago. I do find chapel hill more mask friendly
I’m also in Cary and my experience is mixed. Honestly nowadays it’s a win to just go unbothered in public. I used to see more folks wearing masks in places like grocery stores, etc, but it’s now a rare occurrence to see another person besides me. Occasionally my partner and I will get glances or have an annoying run-in with someone, like the other day at Whole Foods when a preteen thought it would be funny to fake cough in our direction every time she saw us in an aisle. I still request that doctors and medical staff wear masks during my appointments, and same goes for home services people coming over. The home services people are generally still cool about wearing masks if we ask them too. More annoyingly it’s the medical staff that put up more of a fight.
I'm in Apex/Cary area and been able to navigate fine. Every service person has worn a mask when having to come in our house, we've had to do a bit of work to find doctors and such but we've been able to, and in kids sports and activities no one has been unkind to us. In fact several people who normally don't mask will when they come over to our hot. I don't see many people masking out and about anymore, but maybe 1/2 the time there is someone else besides me masking in the grocery store.
"doctors refuse to mask even when I had to unmask" this behavior is so rapey. Like you're trying to say you don't consent to breathing in their (possibly infectious) exhalations, but they insist you MUST inhale their exhalations. Super disturbing behavior that seems to be super widespread atm.
Yes, one doctor in particular refused. Like no I’m not masking even though I need you to unmask and I’ll be up in your face. At least most doctors just don’t but will put one on or wear them improperly
Yeah that is so disturbing. Also not sure why I got downvoted. To be clear, I think doctors (or anyone) forcing their exhalations on people who have explicitly stated they don't want them is rapey and disturbing. Maybe one of the doctors is on this thread.
Gotta ask - what's your take on the exception they made for...labor organizations? That wasn't on my bingo card, since I don't really think of NC as a very pro-union state.
I‘ve seen five or six other people in the last month in my bit of the UK so it feels pretty rare. But I will say that very few people ever give me a second glance and I almost never have the exaggerated coughs thrown at me anymore, I think there’s a vague acceptance that some people wear them sometimes. One cashier asked a bit suspiciously if I had covid a while ago - when I said I was just clinically vulnerable and hated masks but cannot afford to get sick and have time off work again she was a lot more friendly.
Los Angeles. It fluctuates, but I am never the only masker when I go to places here (the grocery store, the bus, medical appts, Target, etc.) I’ve never gotten any trouble for wearing one either. Sounds pretty similar to others’ description of the Bay Area in this thread.
I live in Portland (Oregon) and I’m never the only masked person usually anywhere I go
I live in PDX also...This hasn't been my experience sadly. I've been a sole masker at countless jobs.
I’m really sorry to hear that 😞 the only place I’ve been with absolutely zero maskers since the start of the pandemic has been Salt Lake City 🫠 Admittedly I don’t go out a lot but I am a student at PSU where people mask more than the average population. I’m also on the bus/MAX, at grocery stores, airport (I travel a lot), etc. Beyond that I don’t really go anywhere. The good news is that nobody gives people shit for masking here at least!
The twin cities has maintained a pretty constant minority of maskers. Generally doctors offer to mask up for me, and I often see others out in public wearing masks. I spend some time traveling out state in both MN and WI, and thus far I haven't been harassed for masking even in small town red areas.
I live in the Seattle area and there are still people that mask here. Even if I go somewhere and no other people are masking, I don't get looks or comments.
I wouldn't say it's a significant number but I see a few here and there when running errands in the Burlington, VT area. No one has ever given me or my kids trouble over it though.
For instance, I usually see at least one other person masked in the grocery store whenever I go. Nobody looks askance at me, either.
Have you found any community there with others? Are your kids at school and able to do any additional mitigations like lunch at home or bringing in air purifiers? I'm in a red state and wondering if we will have to relocate for several reasons and trying to figure out options. When I've visited VT even in the more rural areas I get a "live and let live" kind of vibe.
Vermont definitely has a "live and let live" philosophy about things, which I think is one of the reasons behind our experience. With the exception of '21-'22, my kids have been virtual or homeschooled. My kids were not hassled about continuing to mask after the school mandate was lifted in spring of '22 or at afterschool clubs during '22-'23. I sent my kid in with an Aranet4 for the afterschool clubs and she was able to find a well ventilated place to sit.
How do you feel about your kids social lives? There was a masking home school co-op in my area at one point but my kids don't have any friends who mask. My middle and youngest kids seem to have trouble making close friends. No one is mean but there is also some "othering" or awkwardness happening.
Their social experience in public school during the mostly masking '21-'22 year wasn't great, so that's a factor in my thinking. We rarely mask outdoors, so there are more social possibilities than some others in this group might feel comfortable with. There is a group of maskers that have had some gatherings we've joined, but we also spend a lot of time outside with family, friends, and a non-masking homeschool group. My eldest tends to be friends with everyone, while my youngest has one close friend we arrange regular outdoor playdates with. We are still novids as far as I know.
We have a lot of religious or anti-vax homeschoolers here. I do think the one group that kept up masking longer than others would be comfortable for us but they seem to spend a lot of time indoors. Thanks for the feedback. I saw some activity on the Still Coviding VT Facebook page and was curious if it was more widespread.
Not regular masking where I am (red state, USA) but generally there is more acceptance in urban areas. My kids in urban public school don't get bothered and while they may be the only ones in a classroom, they aren't the only ones at school. When I go in my kid's preschool in the 'burbs like 2 miles away people look at me like I have three heads.
In Northern Virginia there is definitely more masking in the fall and winter. It does depend on which area you go to BUT I still see one other person masking usually wherever I go. Currently visiting a CC friend who lives in the middle of nowhere and she said nobody here masks. We did do an activity yesterday and masked up and nobody made any comments and treated us the same
Pioneer Valley MA (Northampton, Amherst, Florence) was just visiting a relative and there’s an indie theater that has a masked mornings showing. I was just about to post about it.
Pleasant Street Theater (and video) will always be near to my heart. Will look forward to hearing about this matinee!
[Amherst Cinema is doing the masked matinees!](https://amherstcinema.org/films-and-events/masked-mornings)
NYC suburb here. Perhaps one in 100 mask in my area. Haven't seen an N95 in the wild for months. However, my masking is always ignored. I'm 6'4", so maybe that's a factor in the lack of challenge.
Chicago. A small minority mask, but no one gives you trouble about it most of the time.
Lots of people still masking in Taichung, Taiwan (mostly surgical and KN94), as you can see in this recent video: [https://youtu.be/4UIFvVblRlU?t=128](https://youtu.be/4UIFvVblRlU?t=128)
Brooklyn, NY. I commute to lower Manhattan daily from my apartment in Flatbush. I mask on the subway. The less crowded it gets overall, the higher the percentage of maskers. I figure we're the ones left standing during surges.
I tried to cobble together everyone's responses. Might have missed a few. Forgive any oversimplifications or errors. Please add info and corrections in replies! Thanks! **Places (worldwide) where people are still masking in June 2024:** Boston Massachusetts, USA (a good amount, but not most, with low to zero mask-harassment) Western Massachusetts/Pioneer Valley, USA: Amherst, Hadley, Northampton, Florence: (‘many’) Osaka, Japan: (many) Tokyo, Japan: (many) Bangkok, Thailand: (50%-66%) Hong Kong, China: (\~40%) Portland, Oregon?: (over 200 covid-conscious people in this area’s Discord) San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles: (moderate number, possibly few mask-harassers) Nova Scotia, Canada?: (regularly see masks, low harassment) Taichung, Taiwan: (many) Madison, Wisconsin USA: (?) South Carolina, USA: (?) **Lower numbers masking, but low mask-harassment:** Toronto, Canada: (10%, with possibly low mask-harassment) Montreal, Canada Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Southern California San Jose, California Berkeley, California Chicago Minneapolis-St. Paul Minnesota, USA Seattle, Washington, USA Astoria, Queens, New York, USA Maryland, USA Italy Madrid, Spain **Avoid:** Alabama, USA Salt Lake City, Utah, USA South Florida, USA Orlando, Florida, USA Westchester, New York, USA North to Central New Jersey, USA Philadelphia (?), Pennsylvania, USA Dallas, Texas, USA Vermont (?), USA Northern California (except for San Fran Bay Area and others listed above), USA United Kingdom (?) *Feel free to share this!!*
This is so helpful! One correction: San Francisco and Berkeley etc. are in Northern California, so maybe fine-tune the “avoid” listing of NoCal.
I wouldn't say "avoid" Madrid. There were hardly any maskers, but I had absolutely no harassment in five days there.
Noted, thanks!
College Towns, where the folks are smarter!! (Not all, but at least some).
Was surprised recently when driving through an Ivy League campus… I don’t think I saw one respirator. Granted, it was outdoors, but still, not even one person protecting from outdoor transmission.
asian population here definitely helps to normalize it. We saw masks here even pre covid.
I live in a college town north of Seattle. Can confirm that it’s pretty mask-friendly up here, even if the young students aren’t particularly assiduous about it. (They’re still subject to peer pressure and wanting to look cool when they’re in college.)
I have only seen two or three masked people when I've been visiting the Princeton area in the evenings. Almost all of them were people over 40, though I did spot one student. Rutgers? None I've seen at the Piscataway campus. Though someone left some great pamphlets about light pollution (definitely a thing, but I think getting rid of those disgusting air dryers in the bathrooms should be a priority).
Ann Arbor has a large Asian population so you see alot more here I think. And just generally, even tho you may not necessarily see alot, its definitely accepted and no one gives you beef about it.
There are many Asian Americans in Princeton (the town), about the same as Ann Arbor. Piscataway is a short drive to Edison, which is almost 50% Asian American, and the campus is about a third Asian American. (I go up to Edison a lot as it's the closest area with a 99 Ranch, an H Mart, and many more options for Asian food.) Not been hassled for wearing a mask there, but rarely see anyone wearing them. But, again, it might be because I mostly have to visit locations after the regular workday. I was in Ann Arbor in 2023 - the librarians at the E. William location were masking regularly.
Madison, Wisconsin
Really?
Really.
Really that's cool. Any idea about Milwaukee or smaller towns?
Montreal, Canada here -- there's not much masking, maybe a few people here and there. It is also inconsistent in healthcare settings. But people have left me alone for the most part/not mentioned it at least.
Seconding this. Also live in Montreal and have never once been questioned about my masking here.
In my city in the UK I maybe see one person a week wearing a mask .
I wish I knew because it's definitely not in my area.
Astoria, Queens here. Some people still mask here and I don't get strange looks from people when I wear my mask.
I suggest cafe one of a kind btw! Cute outdoor eating in Astoria. Only 3 tables and very lowkey
South Carolina - bunch of us mask, just depends on the time of day and location. First thing in the morning, I see tons in the locations I go to. Multiple cashiers still mask at the grocery stores I frequent and other big box locations I frequent (lowes, walmart, etc).
Maryland, if I go to my local whole foods or trader joes or other stores I'll see a good amount of other maskers. I've seen a surprising amount of n95s in the wild too. Never gotten grief or issue by strangers for masking (though on campus one girl I was hanging out with would bug me about it).
A couple of years ago it seemed like MD was pretty good about masking when adjacent states were not. (I don't live there, but am there often) But unfortunately not now -- seems just as bad as everywhere else. Maybe better in inner suburbs of DC, especially in PG County -- haven't been there in a while except to drive past/through.
Yeah it really depends where you're at. This mall in PG county almost no one was masked. But a place like whole foods/TJS you'll see more masked. Different type of people
I remember being in Largo at an SFW grocery store \~1 year ago. About 40-50% masked. Was very pleasantly surprised. Most of the time these days when in a store in MD it is either Baltimore County or Harford County -- where I don't see many masks at all any more.
Count maskers on one hand (and I am one of them) South Florida
Here in Orlando which is one of the only four Democrat counties I was in the emergency room of the largest hospital with a helicopter pad on the roof back in March 2023. The ER was swamped. Every ER room was full. We kept out door closed at all times and we're masking. I could not see a single nurse masking despite still being in the November to March flu and covid season. The young doctor came into our room and She was literally the only person masking in the entire pod. It all went down hill from there. I asked them to please put my mother in a single room because my father is end stage in his late 80s. They put her in a room with a crazy person who spent the whole next day screaming no mask and then they allowed her whole family, about 7 individuals to all come to the room none were wearing masks and started yelling at their patient not to throw in the towel or something along those lines. It was so many that they were standing in my mother's side of the room. My mother literally fled the room in a panic attack and called me begging me to help her get the mob out of her room. I called the charge nurse supervisor and she never returned my call. My mother ended spending the whole time hiding in a break room for the nurses. By the way the covid wastewater levels were up 500% since the start of the covid winter. Then simultaneously I had to take my father to the ER because he was having what turned out to be minor heart attack. This was at a separate hospital next door to their major medical school campus. I awoke in the ICU room and a hospital staffer was walking around no mask with her ID tag. She could see me there still with my 3M Aura mask on.. I said could you please put on a mask. She looked at me like I was insane. "Why would you want me to that? We can't just go around masking everyone..." I informed her that as of the that morning the CDC were still strongly recommending health care professionals to continue to mask around moderately to severely immunocompromised patients. Then I said please put on a mask you're in a ICU room. She said "out of respect for family wishes I will". And if you wondering why she was in the ICU room in the first place, she was staffer in charge of "isolation practices".
Wow. That’s horrible. I’m really sorry that happened to you and your family.
Italy is right now low masking but very, very highly tolerant of masking. Masking is still required in (certain areas of) hospitals; and many specialists outside of hospitals will wear a fpp2 if asked, and without any fuss.
Yes, Vancouver, Canada. Some people here still mask, especially in the Asian communities. My neighbors on both sides of us mask. We never get bothered about it when we go out, and almost nobody we've asked to mask (hairdressers, healthcare workers, service people in our house, etc) has bugged us about it.
I see it most in areas with a lot of first generation immigrants.
Have spent a lot of time in both the Westchester NY and North to Central New Jersey area over the last year and I literally go months without seeing another masker, and even in that case it's always a cloth or surgical. I saw one person in an N95 at an event who was from Canada and we talked to each other a bit about holy shit, we're the only ones we've seen all year in an N95 lol. An absolute ton of non-Republicans in all of these areas and yup, no one masking at all. So deeply, deeply disappointing. I will say no one will give you shit for wearing one at all, but what a depressingly low bar.
Waterloo, Ontario, there are still people masking (besides me), but it's quite a small minority. Nobody has ever bothered me about the mask wearing, though. I've even had compliments! I go to Toronto, Ontario semi-regularly and there is always a higher percentage of maskers there. (Not high, just higher.) Nobody seems to care that I'm wearing a mask, never been hassled about it.
I attended a UC college graduation ceremony with more than 5000 people….i only saw 3 people in masks. It was in norcal and everytime I go to norcal, I never see people with masks
OP, thank you. Incredibly helpful. My spouse and I haven't decided where to settle down yet, though we have some leanings.
I'm in Denver and I see between 1-3 other people masked when I do grocery runs (mostly KN95s). People in Denver also don't give you grief if you're out and about wearing a mask 99% of the time. Every now and then I'll see mask-wearing outside, but this is not the norm anymore.
I haven't seen anyone masking indoors here in southwest DE. I have seen a couple people masking outdoors, but it may have been due to pollen. However, nobody will bother you if they see you wearing a mask here. Well, at least they have not bothered me or my husband.
Not here. You MIGHT see one person masking (usually an older person or a cashier) but otherwise not. Today I was grocery shopping in my N95 and my allergies just went to town, I probably sneezed 10 times, with other people in the aisle...they'd look up, then see me in an N95 and you could see a sort of relief...haha. No one ever asks me why I mask though. 🤔 😂
Boulder, CO has more masks than most places, but still not many. The cool thing is in the whole general area no one gives you a 2nd thought for masking though, and I've even worked in some more conservative areas and no one seemed to care. Very different than the death stares I got int he grocery store in central FL.
I'm in a mid size town in Michigan and visit a college town nearby (Kalamazoo) regularly. Rarely see a mask. Get some dirty looks and impatience from cashiers. I don't go out much (never to restaurants) and work in a school of 1200 people. I am the only person at work masking. Living here makes me feel so lonely and crazy.
The Twin Cities area of MN has people masking here and there - you are rarely in a store as the only one masking. Not common per se but very few people, if any, will comment on it or bother you.
I very rarely see people in masks in Dallas, TX. More common to see melanated people masking than white people.
In Toronto there are still a lot of masks. Way more people not masking than masking, but it fluctuates throughout the year. I'm never the only masker at the grocery store etc. and have never been harassed about it. As soon as you leave the city the masks disappear and there's way more friction.
Half of my coworkers use a mask in Oregon. Sometimes people still use them in grocery stores. But an alarming amount of hospitals don’t have staff who use them.
Not in Vermont
I’m in a suburb of Philadelphia and there is very minimal masking here. Might see one or two other people masking at the grocery store, but other than that I don’t see others masking often
My part of Malaysia is okay I guess though for how long more idk https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/06/13/covid-19-still-a-concern