Masks,No? Fiasco!

People who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus no longer need to wear masks while indoors or outdoors or physical distance in either large or small gatherings, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced during a White House COVID-19 briefing Thursday.

For months we have been told that the CDC is the ultimate authority providing ‘mandatory guidance’ on how we are all supposed to behave. No matter how outrageous or economically devastating, their word was law, except it wasn’t anything of the sort.

The directive above would seem simple enough. But there are complications. Here in California we still have a mask mandate, vaccinated or not. You might think Federal Guidance would trump state rules, but this is not automatically so. Anyone who wants to use pesticides or paint thinner or purchase a gas can knows that California rules are different from much of the nation.

Many large businesses have decided to follow the CDC guidance, with the caveat that state and local regulations still apply. So if you go to a Costco in Nevada or Idaho you can keep your airways free, but if you head to my Costco in Lodi you will need to cover your orifices. Both of them people! If you are going to wear the thing do it right, comfort be damned.

Of course these contradictory mandates are producing confrontations. People show up to stores and offices vaccinated and mask-less and they are being denied entry. Debates ensue. So far there are no stories of them escalating into violence, but it is early days yet.

All this leaves aside the question of whether non vaccinated people will do as they are supposed to and put masks on. The CDC guidance is for ‘fully vaccinated people’ which Stoker and I both are, along with most of my Pod and Peeps. But what is to stop someone at the door of Walmart telling the greeter they are fully jabbed when they actually haven’t been? At present, nothing. And since you do not need an ID to vote, it is hard to image that a vaccine passport is coming anytime soon. But even if you do have to show proof for the privilege of going bare faced, what about fakes? Some enterprising tavern owner in Clements got busted for selling fake Covid vaccination cards. I’ll bet he’s not the only one.

I’d like to stand up for my right to go mask free, like the CDC says I can. But I’m a wimp. The Japanese have a saying “The nail that stands up gets hammered down’, and I don’t want to get bashed. So the Costco person checking membership cards will get no argument from me.