I have been wearing a P100 half-face respirator for the last 5 and a half years. I don't think I'll be stopping anytime soon. I'm a secondary teacher, so I literally use a microphone and speaker, because I can't afford to keep getting sick every time Ms. Entitled decides that not having to watch over her sick kid is more important than the health of everyone at school and sends her ill child to cough all over everyone.
this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2025
100 points (95.5% liked)
Casual Conversation
1285 readers
302 users here now
Share a story, ask a question, or start a conversation about (almost) anything you desire. Maybe you'll make some friends in the process.
RULES
- Be respectful: no harassment, hate speech, bigotry, and/or trolling.
- Encourage conversation in your OP. This means including heavily implicative subject matter when you can and also engaging in your thread when possible.
- Avoid controversial topics (e.g. politics or societal debates).
- Stay calm: Don’t post angry or to vent or complain. We are a place where everyone can forget about their everyday or not so everyday worries for a moment. Venting, complaining, or posting from a place of anger or resentment doesn't fit the atmosphere we try to foster at all. Feel free to post those on !goodoffmychest@lemmy.world
- Keep it clean and SFW
- No solicitation such as ads, promotional content, spam, surveys etc.
Casual conversation communities:
- !casualuk@feddit.uk
- !casualeurope@piefed.social
- !forumlibre@jlai.lu
- !batepapo@lemmy.eco.br
- !esp@lemm.ee
Related discussion-focused communities
- !actual_discussion@lemmy.ca
- !askmenover30@lemm.ee
- !dads@feddit.uk
- !letstalkaboutgames@feddit.uk
- !movies@piefed.social
- !television@piefed.social
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Never stopped. Haven't had a respiratory issue in five years, apart from when my sister brought COVID into the house and infected us. Hoping to keep it that way for as long as possible. Need to book my next jab.
People are gross and don't want to think about how serious COVID is. Easier to just pretend it's not an issue any more. The stakes are too high for that for me. Cumulative damage and a jackpot prize of long COVID? Hard pass.
I probably should've kept it in, but one day I just got tired of it, and not many people wear one anymore, so I just stopped. But suddenly it feels like the whole world is coughing around me. I've had nine COVID vaccines, get it every time I can, and I get the RSV and pneumococcal vaccines this week too. Long COVID is awful.
ive noticed this to i been keeping my distance from large crowds
You can do it, but honestly, the point of masking was primarily to slow the spread so we didn't have one massive surge as a world with no resistance got the disease all at once and had its healthcare capacity get overwhelmed. We did that. But we didn't stop the disease from spreading. COVID-19's been all over by now. It's endemic. Sooner or later, everyone will get it.
My form-fitting N95 is to keep me safe.
Viral infections aren't purely binary though. It has been shown that the peak severity of infection is correlated with how big of a viral load you are initially exposed to.
So a mask can help decrease the severity of the inevitable infection by decreasing how much viral bodies you inhale.
My aunt and my coworker have not. Some people are called genetic super dodgers.
Also it's mostly to protect other people in the case of covid specifically from what I remember the doctors saying.
Well, yeah, the medical masks are. You can get N95 respirators, which weren't what people were generally wearing, and those are aimed at that. Might actually be possible to buy some this time around; the shortage was pretty extreme in 2020.
I managed to get a reusable N95 3M respirator and filters early-on in the thing, before it was really in the news and everyone was rolling out the door of hardware stores with N95 respirators to ship to China and the like.
Sorry I should have said that, I'm wearing an N95.
I wear a mask selectively to give a non-verbal "keep the fuck away from me" signal. Most frequently I wear it while grocery shopping; people keep their distance better when I have a mask.
I got Covid at a show a month and a half ago. Last night I went to another show. I know that my body is ready to fight it again, but I still wore a mask.
Getting covid sucks so much more than wearing a mask for two hours every so often.
I have only had it one time so far, and thankfully it was just a stuffy nose for me, but I really don't want it again. I've had nine vaccines, even the pharmacist kind of laughs at me when I get another, but I'd rather be careful. I'm also getting the Pneumococcal and RSV vaccines this week, I qualify now because of age, so that's good. Had the shingles vaccine this spring too. I hope you feel better.
We're back to masking, too, but in our case it's because the pediatric vaccine is significantly delayed. The adults in the household got our boosters but our kids are at risk. So it's masks on when we leave the house, until mid-October at the earliest.
I'm so sorry for Americans.
Yeah, that's fair.
Hope you all stay healthy, best wishes to you.
I qualify for my RSV vaccine and Pneumococcal vaccine now because of age and asthma so I'm getting those next week. I also got the shingles vaccine earlier this year. If people should get one vaccine I would say shingles is it, because that is SO painful.
I never stopped masking and I'm glad. I dont know many fellow Americans who still take it seriously. I get mocked at work sometimes, but fuck em, I haven't had COVID and I'd like to keep avoiding it if I can. Of course, now that RFK Jr. is attempting to limit access to vaccines and boosters in the US....ugh.
*corrected typo that made it unclear
I have ever had COVID either, but did stop masking years back. However. I'm taking my first international flights since 2019 soon, long haul, and I'm shitting myself. Airports seem dangerous places for viruses, planes too. So I'll probably bring masks along and wear them.
Good for you not having it. I've decided to go back to it in general. I don't care who mocks me. Some dude said something to me about wearing one on the bus last year.
And frankly, it's the same people who say "we should have freedom over our own faces" or whatever, that get mad at you for deciding you want the freedom to wear a mask. Sorry that it's also still a problem in Canada, tho.
It's just the odd dumb asshole, most people don't say anything. Usually they're wearing a Fuck Trudeau shirt.
masking never started here, there was never a mandate. people just kept really far apart instead. there is currently one person in my country being treated for serious covid, down from two last week. if i'm reading the statistics correctly, we're currently at a reported infection rate of 1 in 25000. it's strange how it's so different depending on location.
Would you mind telling me what country? No worries if not.
you know, it's weird. i am on a swedish instance and i post about swedish stuff every week, but when someote asks me directly i still hesitate. wonder what that says about me.
Oh I'm sorry. I totally understand what you mean. I had Nazis stalking me on Reddit. Please ignore my question.
nah, i did answer you :)
I don't doubt covid is rising there - it is in the States as well - but it also might be wildfire smoke?
Possibly. But I just don't feel comfortable all of a sudden. I don't find it smoky and air quality is rated as low risk today.
That's perfectly valid, and I applaud your being so aware of the issue!
Lots of allergens are popping where I live. Grass and ragweed are ramping up to max output.
Thankfully that never seems to bother me. Idk. Some people just don't cover their cough or sneeze and this week it's bothering me. Also my ex has a man cold that I don't want.
I'm usually use mask because lots of people within my age nowadays, often smoking and vaping in a public place. But sometimes, I used it too when I don't feel so good at few hours (like getting a morning flu or having fever in the middle of very hot day)
I mask up in classrooms. Haven't been sick since