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ConnieDee's avatar

Your comments on the confusing pictures reminds me of the way I always have to look up the laundry symbols on my clothes. I've also had to contact support for my washer and dryer (is "delicate" slower agitation or shorter agitation? Is "heavy" for heavy clothing or heavy soil? Is "easy care" hotter than "delicates"? What temp is "timed dry?") I don't want to know what some engineer guy thinks is good for my clothes, I want to know what's physically happening inside those barrels.

The other problem with the CDC graphical messaging is that it doesn't really include distancing. For the entire Covid period people losing friends and neighbors over vehement "mask AND distance" vs. "mask OR distance" arguments. (Maybe we've at least arrived at a kind of scolding fatigue and will just give it up for awhile.)

Finally, thanks for the realistic listing/prioritizing of our reasons for wearing masks. For me, protecting myself has always been #1. Since I've been so, so careful (easy when you're retired), the probability of me making someone else sick has always seemed pretty low. Now that I'll be traveling fully vaccinated, visiting kids, that probability will rise a bit. But now that I've finally got genuine, U.S. manufactured, comfortable N-95s, tightened glasses and shorter hair, mask-wearing is ironically a lot easier now.

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Mark's avatar

Thanks for the post, Zeynep, and for the Atlantic piece which I read and enjoyed. I take your points about the communication blunders. How many categories should that CDC chart have though? Would a fair representation of your positions be:

1) vaccinated - don't worry about masks unless you want

2) unvaccinated, outdoors and distanced - don't worry about masks unless you want

3) unvaccinated, outdoors and talking closely - put a mask on

4) unvaccinated, indoors - put a mask on

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