We’ll soon see noses and mouths again | Mann Overboard

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“Time to ditch the COVID masks in San Francisco.” 

That was the title of a recent, probably controversial piece by my former Bay Area newspaper colleague C.W. Nevius, who, it must be added, has little use for anti-vaxxers. 

He says it’s time to start moving back to normal life. I think he’s probably right, and County Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry says we’ll probably be mask-free here soon. Let’s lose the masks. 

Nevius explains that unvaccinated people are 14 times more likely to die of COVID than those of us who are vaxxed and boostered. And those of us who ARE vaxxed, the FDA chief says, may be infected, “but the symptoms will almost certainly be minor.” 

Nevius adds, “If you refuse the shot, you’re running a foolish risk.” No kidding. 

“But the rest of us,” says the well-regarded columnist, “shouldn’t have to spend our lives in a mask to protect unvaccinated people.” Totally agree. 

“Those deniers — who are idiots — are definitely at risk for serious consequences. But that’s their choice. People shouldn’t smoke either, but many do.

“It brings us back,” he writes, “to ‘I have to wear a mask because you are too stupid to get vaccinated.’” 

California and British Columbia have both just dropped mask mandates, with a few exceptions, like care facilities. 

As far as protecting children from COVID, Nevius cites a letter sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom by several distinguished virologists recommending making masks optional for children indoors.

I don’t like wearing masks, but I do it. And I certainly understand why we’ve done it. But as we move into the pandemic becoming endemic, I really dislike the idea of wearing a mask to protect anti-vaxxers. 

The national media has done a poor job, not stressing the high-toll hospitals and their staff have taken because of the clueless, unvaccinated people.

We’re heavily vaccinated here in PT. San Francisco’s mayor has declared that masks are no longer required in gyms and offices. B.C. even allows dancing now. We should follow suit. 

Restaurants and retail businesses here should continue to require proof of vaccination, especially if masks aren’t mandatory. And besides, if you require proof of vaxxes, are customer masks really necessary any more? 

— I don’t blame my cautious daughter in Oregon for the protectiveness she affords our two under-5, un-vaxxed grandkids. They’ve never been in a store or restaurant. They only go to empty playgrounds. They have only one “bubble,” three other kids in a small family that they play with. 

And we can all hardly wait until the day those kids under age 5 can get vaccinated. If all the clueless and heedless had been vaccinated, our grandchildren may not have been deprived of a normal childhood. 

I’ve never been anti-mask. But it does seem like it’s time to move on.

Vaccinations and boosters and proof they’ve been received? Definitely.

Masks? Not so much. 

— One thing I’m happy to see return here this summer is Thing, that well-produced musical and theatrical gathering at Fort Worden.

— Save Lives, Become a Lifeguard, AND get paid. We still need lifeguards at our pool, and there’s a certification program March 7-12 at Mountain View Pool. And get this: the Jefferson Aquatic Coalition is sweetening the deal by offering a $300 bonus to anyone who completes the course, gets hired, and is employed for 90 days. Call 360-385-5811 or email rowen@olympicpeninsulaymca.org. 

— I have a tiny tie-in with Black History Month: I was a columnist at the Oakland Tribune, this country’s first black-owned major daily newspaper. Our publisher, the late Robert Maynard, a Washington Post alum who worked on the Watergate team, was the finest boss I’ve worked for.

— Not sure why, but I’ve joined the masses by posting my Wordle images on social media. When I get the word correctly, that is. I promise to stop doing this soon.

— Walked into Safeway the other day, and was confronted by an old acquaintance. In two dimensions, that is. (An ad display). It was famed TV chef Guy Fieri, whose Santa Rosa, California restaurant was where I used to eat before he became famous. Guy’s spikey blond ‘do reminds me of a joke: Never let your daughter date any guy whose hair can cause severe tire damage.

(PT humorist Bill Mann’s net nom de plume: newsmann9@gmail.com.)