Flying the unmasked skies
Commenter PA Cat asked me: “How does it feel to have the mask mandate on planes ended?” after learning that I’m now home. So I’ll oblige.
I started out yesterday at LAX, which still has a mask mandate even though the FDA does not. The mandate was announced on loudspeakers periodically. But interestingly enough – at least to me – I’d estimate that about 20% of the people in the airport were not wearing masks and I didn’t witness anyone being stopped and reprimanded for that (which doesn’t mean it didn’t happen; just that I didn’t see it).
Once on the plane I was wedged between my ex-husband, who had kindly accompanied me out west to help me out, and a middle-aged woman. He had taken off his mask, but she had hers on. At first I decided, out of deference to her, to keep mine on. But about an hour into the flight I took it off for comfort’s sake, and kept it off for the duration.
In back of us was a very talkative child of about five years old. She kept up quite a chatter, and towards the end of the flight she started talking about COVID. Either someone she knew had COVID, or she had COVID, or some family member did – I couldn’t hear her clearly enough to get the story straight. This made me nervous. But then again, I figure it’s everywhere and I’m probably exposed to it on a daily basis if I’m out of the house, masked or unmasked. It’s just a fact of life at this point.
In Boston while waiting at the carousel for the luggage to arrive, I noticed that – even in that solidly blue city – maybe only 5% of the people were masked. I was actually surprised the number was so low. But I think the explanation is that people are simply exhausted with all of it and have decided to accept its presence on the scene and live more normally, after two years of restrictions. This seems to be true despite politics, at least in Boston.
The flight was great, by the way: Jet Blue, perfectly on time, and pretty smooth. It was jam-packed and I don’t think there was an empty seat. It’s amazing how much faster the west-to-east trip is than the reverse, because of tailwinds. The difference is nearly two hours saved.
On arriving home, just as I thought would happen, I started noticing things in my place that I realize I need to tend to that weren’t noticeable to me before. First up was the bathroom sink, which had looked perfectly clean to me when I left. Now with my operated-on left eye, I could see that it had very faint stains. They were incredibly difficult to get off and took many scrubbings, but I accomplished it. Of course, there was an easier way to make them go away – simply close that eye and looks at them with my right eye.
And then there was the phenomenon of the mirror.
Be not afraid.
I am nearly as old as you are, get covered with multiple strangers’ aeroslized nasopharyngeal secretions daily in the course of my work, and have not been ill with Covid.
You too can prophylax:
https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FLCCC-Alliance-I-MASKplus-Protocol-ENGLISH.pdf
I think people who travel are not afraid of Covid–that’s why they are unmasked, even in Boston. Go to Whole Foods if want to see who’s still masking.
I’ve flown since May, 2020. The ventilation in the planes is better than that in my hospital office.
Those Mr. Clean Miracle Sponges really do work like nobody’s business at stain removal.
Reminds me of my mom’s maxim: “Never look at your windows in the afternoon light.” (The rest of the time they can pass for clean…)
I’m glad to hear you had a smooth and uneventful flight home, and that people in Boston are sufficiently tired of masks to have largely put them aside. I think the same is true of New Haven, which is just as blue a city as Boston.
And yes, I’d agree with Scott the Badger about the Mr. Clean sponges– they worked very well for my badly stained kitchen sink.
Anyway, it’s good to have you back, and to know that your eye surgery went so well.
I’ll try one of those sponges. Thanks.
The mask story is a perfect example of the way false narratives now dominate our lives. Masks don’t work. We knew it for years. Masks were not part of any public health plan to deal with a pandemic prior to 2020 for good reason. Even an incompetent and corrupt Fauci told a friend by email in the early days of the scare not to bother with a mask because masks do not work.
And yet here we are after two years of relentless lies by the usual suspects — Democrat politicians, corrupt bureaucrats and a dishonest news media. And a thoroughly cowed science and medical establishment which chose to play ball with the authoritarian liars rather than stand up for truth.
By the way, the corrupt mask “studies” which were quickly produced to provide cover for the new authoritarians are a great example of standard leftist practice. The academy has been a consistent source of knowingly false and manipulated research to buttress any left-wing political narrative from minimum wage to global warming to ‘women don’t lie about rape or sexual assault’.
stan,
Give them a break, lies are all they’ve got.
I live in Florida where we did away with the mask business a year and a half ago. I’m always amazed when I read people in other areas still cling to them. All you have to do is compare the size of a virus to the size of the mesh in a mask to know they are largely useless.
Reading between the lines, it seems that your surgery was a success! Congrats.
If they can mandate masks, they could and perhaps should have mandated improved filtration and ventilation systems in public places, along with selective use of disinfecting UV lighting (bands A & B at night, 20 to 30 minute durations; band C when people are present, is I believe the safe process).
Still would have had supply chain availability and ramp up issues for more or newer equipment, but they could have prioritized “essential” vs. less essential venues, etc. with a rolling implementation plan.
“Once on the plane I was wedged between my ex-husband, who had kindly accompanied me out west to help me out . . . .”
Wonderful!!!!!!!
If “they” could mandate masks, “they” could have made IVM over the counter too.
Like NH is working towards. Like many third world countries do.
“They” could have sent vitamin D and zinc lozenges through the mail.
“They” could have made it known gargling–yes, GARGLING–is an effective way to reduce infections.
Couple it with nasal lavage, and you cut them by over half.
(And if you DO get infected, keep it up. Reducing the viral load reduces both symptoms and length of illness.)
It is quite clear “they” had an agenda, and it involved EUs of mRNA injections, no matter what. Effective early treatment of what is a bad flu would have made it a mild flu, and prevented EU authorization.
IF “they” can get it on the childhood vaccination schedule, I have read “they” will be forever free of liability, even for all the data they failed to share under informed consent.
But everyone here can read, and can download the protocol above, and stop being afraid of Covid.
I understand we have all been inundated with fear porn.
But ask yourself–have we heard of frontline providers–ER, ICU, OR personnel– dropping like flies, or airline attendants? All those brave people who worked at Wal Mart and Costco and Home Depot through it all? No, we have not.
You know why–because for the VAST majority of people, Covid is an inconvenient illness. As one of my young colleagues texted me when he was home because of a positive test and I enquired how ill he was: “I’ve worked a hundred days sicker than I am now.” (Omicron; December-January here.)
Studies indicate that over half the deaths we’ve experienced would have been prevented with early treatment of repurposed drugs that sat on your pharmacists’ shelves.
IMHO–it is NOT at all polite to enable anxiety, or even stupidity.
We have to stop complying with lies, because by doing so we perpetuate lies.
Not only do cloth and surgical masks not work, even N-95s don’t if they are moved or are not tight enough to make your nose run in minutes or give you a headache within two hours.
And please, please, please–read enough to understand why getting any more of it injected is just plain nuts. Yes, boosters increase measurable Ab levels–for a few weeks, to a spike that has been gone for almost a year and a half, which do NOT prevent infections (or transmission) with the current variants, while it strongly suppress your innate system (esp the first two weeks) leaving you more vulnerable to infections, maybe forever.
And apparently, at very significant risk for complications from clots, cardiac and neurological injury. If not death. That 40% increase in deaths in workers 18-64 last Q3 and Q4 came from somewhere.
Nobody is “offering” a fourth shot to health care workers.
They didn’t compel the third, even.
Never have enforced the CMS mandate that still stands, requiring that third injection by April to get Medicare and Medicaid moneys–think on that.
They know how many of us declined the third shot on being offered it in the fall–
I have no doubt that got passed on from the systems to CMS. My guess it was in excess of 30% of staff. Likely more nurses and cleaning staff.
They do NOT want that publicity, because they know a huge number will walk rather than get it.
Just reporting on the my take from the trenches.
Read for yourself:
Substack.com
Robert Malone, Pierre Kory, Phil Harper, Tess Lowrie, Paul Alexander, Steve Kirsh, Naked Emporer, El Gato.
You do NOT have to subscribe to read.
Well, it was a good run, but with people shedding the masks left and right and no gestapo like vaccination checkpoints, our unofficial KarenCorps may be out of business.
As someone who lives in LA County, I can report that mask wearing is still quite heavy in some areas. Masks are optional in most places (airports being one of the exceptions). And there are many places in the county where few wear them. But where I live, over half the people I see at the supermarket still wear them.