Though US lifts guidance, not everyone ready to give up masks
WASHINGTON, May 15, (AFP) - A day after the top US health agency eased Covid-19 mask restrictions, many people could still be seen walking around the capital Washington wearing face coverings.
Among them was a student, Chloe, who said she was fully vaccinated -- but was wearing her black face mask anyway. Chloe, 20, viewed the CDC announcement as “hopeful” but said she plans to keep wearing her mask for a while longer.
“If I see more people not wearing masks, it'll make me feel comfortable not wearing masks,” she said. “And then just seeing the number of people who are vaccinated in the US will definitely help. If that number goes up, I might feel more comfortable taking it off.” But “it's really important to recognize that the pandemic's still going on.” Currently, only 36 percent of people are fully vaccinated in the United States, where the pandemic has killed more than 580,000.
“Yesterday, I was not really into the idea” of going maskless, said Lauren, who wore a white cloth face mask. “Even though I'm vaccinated, what if there's some slight chance that I'm around somebody who's sick? A non-vaccinated person?” The 36-year-old consultant, who also chose to only give her first name, told AFP she plans to keep her mask handy when she's out and decide whether to put it on based on a “day-to-day, even hour-to-hour feeling.” “It has kind of become a part of our face. I feel kind of bare without it,” Lauren said, adding her mask sometimes can feel like a “security blanket.” Health experts say it's normal to feel anxious about returning to normal life, given how hard the last year has been.
But “what value are you deriving from the vaccine if you're not actually living your life?” Lauren ultimately agrees: “I'm really desperate to see people's faces again,” she said. “I want to be able to smile at people. “