Crowds...

[UkrainianTracksuit]

So, what are you folks doing about crowded events these days?

I'm at the point where "it is now or never" but I also don't want to get sick. There are concerts and music festivals that I want to check out.

I just don't want to encounter some people that will have to open their mouths to the (probably) one masked person.

Once venue is small - just 450 people max. But, that is a bunch of people, unmasked, and still...a bunch of people.

For those active here, what have you done?

[cassandra]

Hi UT, I’m still on HD and still don’t go to anything ‘busy’ but I can understand that you’d feel like going after TX. I’d probably go, and wear a mask. Depending on the importance of the gathering.


Love, and luck, Cas

[iolaire]

UkrainianTracksuit - good questions, do what you can to keep your sanity and have fun while taking precautions.

I'm still wearing my KN95 indoors and even outdoors in places where its crowded.  For example, we have a neighborhood that does "Art on the Avenue" once per month, the neighborhood street is closed down with booths on each side and when we last went it was quite busy.  I wore my mask the full time there, but happily had a few wines at a mostly empty patio. 

I did get COVID at a conference in Las Vegas where I was wearing my mask expect at meals and happy hours when spaced out.  I think I caught it at a restaurant meal where someone came out to cough heavily when we were waiting outside - I say that guy about 8 ft away midway through dinner.

We have done some indoor dining, but we are doing that at off hours.  And we went to a wedding reception where we didn't know many people and ended up being unmasked eating and drinking, but luckily, we didn't have to be in the crowds of people standing up talking - if we had we would have been masked as we were when we went up for drinks and food.

If I was to do crowded indoor stuff, I would wear my mask and try to find an area to space out myself from others - i.e., find a place that will have space in the back.  If I had a choice of venues I would think about the size and likely ventilation.  For me that would be picking sports arena music events over the smaller place that is single story flat and wide and built 30+ years ago nearer to us.

On the Facebook groups I see people who are still not going to grocery stores.  At this point, or at least earlier in the year when we had good treatment options, I felt like that was fairly extreme and you could consider many more activities and maintain a lower risk profile. 

Now that the treatment options are no longer working its more worrisome.  But I'm continuing to be out masked, bus/metro to work, mask on the move at work (we have good filters all over), no indoor dinning with coworkers.  I'm still flying as desired with my mask, for example my wife is in NY with her mom, I drove up with her last weekend and flew home to work this week and fly back tonight - all since we can no longer work from home freely...

[SooMK]

I always wear a mask at grocery stores, at my volunteer job at a thrift store, at the post office. I've flown twice and wore my mask the whole time. I never stopped shopping in person. We go out to eat once in awhile. I don't wear a mask then although it's usually not that busy when we go. I don't wear a mask at my book club. I went to my granddaughter's dance recital this weekend and I was one of a handful of people wearing a mask. When I visit my daughters and their families, I don't wear my mask. I think because I'm old or where I go, no one has ever said anything to me. I don't want my last years to be spent isolated from everyone I love. My husband almost never wears a mask so there's that too. Having heard so many stories of people rarely going out and still getting sick, I try to hit the middle ground even though it's inconsistent. Numbers are up again around me. I get every vaccine I can and stick to my uneven habits and hope for the best. Find a little joy every day.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

Thanks for the replies each of you!

I've flown short distances throughout the pandemic (like 6 or 7 times?!), but only once since the mask mandate on flights was lifted. I grocery shopped in person throughout the pandemic, but it was during the "1 hour" allocated for at-risk people. Truth be told, it was what I used for sanity.

It's that crossroads where the world is moving on and we really are stuck in limbo in some senses. My tx doc says to still avoid crowds and crowded places. It's not that I don't still take COVID seriously, but I want to see/do things.

Once concert has capacity of like 450 people in a venue.
Another has a capacity of around but a balcony with much less. Guess I'd go on the balcony..

It just comes down to the fact that I got organs to live but now isn't the best time to live with new organs!

[kristina]

Thanks for the replies each of you!

I've flown short distances throughout the pandemic (like 6 or 7 times?!), but only once since the mask mandate on flights was lifted. I grocery shopped in person throughout the pandemic, but it was during the "1 hour" allocated for at-risk people. Truth be told, it was what I used for sanity.

It's that crossroads where the world is moving on and we really are stuck in limbo in some senses. My tx doc says to still avoid crowds and crowded places. It's not that I don't still take COVID seriously, but I want to see/do things.

Once concert has capacity of like 450 people in a venue.
Another has a capacity of around but a balcony with much less. Guess I'd go on the balcony..

It just comes down to the fact that I got organs to live but now isn't the best time to live with new organs!

Dear UkrainianTracksuit,
I have noticed, that at concerts it really matters how to chose your seat. I always sit next to the entrance/exit and always on the first seat, so that (apart from my husband) no one sits near me. Sitting near/next to the entrance also has the advantage, that there is always some fresh air "around". So far I could enjoy some wonderful classical concerts and hopefully it is possible for me to continue like that. I would like to send you my good-luck-wishes for 2023 and hopefully you can enjoy some concerts; Concerts are always a most appreciated "food for the soul" for me and I also send you my Season Greetings from Kristina.