Addendum:
Mea culpa on possibly a “trigger” headline and meandering post, but this was supposed to be a musing on the disconnect between the March 13 announcement and May 8 reclassification and it’s devolved into the usual endless debate on masking itself. I for one am happy to be a selective masker who is tolerant of anti-maskers and compulsive maskers – because none of us has conclusive evidence for our positions.
Thanks to those who explained the disconnect!
Original post:
(Tokyo) I’m masked too. I was always sorta kinda sure I’d carry on masking in flu season but today I have an important reason not to be casual about it, despite the new guidelines. I’m due for minor surgery in a few weeks’ time, and the surgeon advised me not to catch Covid-19 until then. Because for medical institutions, it is still the plague until 8 May. I wonder if that is when lots of people will take off the masks – if the healthcare infrastructure is not yet treating it like the new flu, why take a chance? Which makes me wonder, why the lag between the unmasking and the reclassification? That doesn’t make sense. Sure, a lot of things don’t make sense but perhaps May 8 is more sensible/less illogical than March 13…
27 comments
Because masking was a thing here before COVID, especially during hayfever season. Guess what? It’s hayfever season. Even so it’s not going to go away because unlike the death cultists science denying intellectually challenged but freedom enhanced country 6000ish freedom unit miles to our east people here are willing to suffer a minor inconvenience to keep others safe.
And that’s the key, wearing a mask is only minorly effective at preventing you from catching the virus, because the primary infection vector isn’t inhalation. Where it’s massively effective is at keeping someone who’s positive from transmitting it, because the primary transmission vector is aerosol particles.
Doubt it? Japan is pretty much the only country where the life expectancy went up during the pandemic – because masking kept the other endemic respiratory virus, flu, from killing anyone and the death rate for COVID here was lower than the normal flu death rate because again – masking.
I thought it was originally meant to be May but the government got backlash because people wanted no masks for school graduations and entrance ceremonies. That’s what I heard though
I was under the impression that masks are still required at hospitals and on public transit?
Flu is going around (and hayfever), plus a few hundred covid cases a day in Tokyo. I’m wearing a mask this week because next week I’m supposed to go overseas and don’t want to end up in an airport with a fever.
My hayfever is crazy this year so the mask can help.
Was in the gym last night. Signs up everywhere saying masks are now optional, please respect people’s decisions to wear/not wear a mask/etc. yet still everyone was masked up.
Exercising with a mask on was absolutely horrid but Japanese don’t seem to mind. I really don’t get it.
Did you really think people were going to stop? Masks have been optional outside for a couple of months now but pretty much everyone still wore them. You’d see people wearing masks inside of their own cars…why?
I did see maybe a handful of people who went maskless but I’d say the majority were still wearing masks. Let em do whatever they want, I’m just happy to not have to wear mine.
NPCs, easy mode
Decided to stop wearing from today. I keep one in my pocket of course incase I get asked to put one on or something. Im not trying to be a Karen or make a scene or statement or anything by not wearing one. I just never wore them before the pandemic and prefer not to unless someone really wants me to.
May 8– End of Golden Week
I’m a cancer survivor (only one year since treatment). I got an eye infection that has come back twice (cause my immune system is struggling), so I wear a mask no matter what. I don’t care about what looks I would get if I go abroad, it’s no one’s business what I put on my face, lol. My mother tries to tell me masks don’t do anything, but hey, it’s my face, haha! Whether you mask or not is your own personal preference, I never understood why people in the states are so bothered about *other people’s mask choices*
The masks are just guidelines, the reclassification is actual law involving the stopping of actual monetary compensation so it takes a lot more steps to implement.
As for why people still wear masks? People were not in a hurry to do so anyway. People just equate going outside with wearing a masks and it’s hay fever season any way. It’ll be a gradual change to pre-COVID levels.
Ironically if the government had put in place an actual strict mask mandate the transition would have been more immediate since there’s a sense of closure
OP, I’m sure that you’re fine folk.
Still, every time I read a post related to masking, I wonder. Don’t you have any hobbies or interests? You know… something else to occupy your time.
It’s really weird I actually don’t know what a lot of people look like in the last Covid years.
I don’t know why people take pictures?
Probably not any one single factor. My child was allowed to go to school without a mask yesterday. Guess what? They all wore masks. He told me he was going to play it by ear. When he got there, everyone wore masks, he wore his mask.
I doubt elementary school kids are worried about the HC infrastructure.
I’m gonna keep wearing one. I’m just used to it now.
So is this going to be a daily thread now? Who cares?
Masks have been worn in Japan for over a century.
Masks are not due to COVID.
When will you people figure this out?
I will continue wearing a mask because I look better when my face is at least partially covered 😅
Indoors on trains, I’m wearing it around my chin to appease ppl who seem more comfortable with me actually having one. Saying that, I’m ethnically Asian so I don’t stand out as much either. I’ve been fully jabbed, had mild covid last fall and got my flu vax at Xmas so don’t feel I’m a high risk to anyone. If I felt a cold or bug coming on I’d pull it up. The kafun angle is real for many. For some it really helps to mask up while they sniff and sneeze.
Just trying to balance out my hate for masks and respecting the cultural oddities of Japan. All my formal mtgs (finance and fintech) take off masks during mtgs and many begin with no masks at all so clearly in public ppl are trying to just be respectful. Will take a bit more time here but I think we all knew Tokyo wasn’t going to have mask burning bonfire parties to celebrate March 13, 2023. I’d say summer is when you’ll see a lot more come off.
Yeah let me just take off my mask and enjoy a nice headache as the pollen spores attack my sinus system.
Lotta things in Japan don’t make sense 🤷🏻♂️
This is now a non-issue, surely. Wear a mask if you want to; don’t if you don’t want to. This is called being an adult and understanding that the virus has joined the others that we always lived with. But, for goodness sake, take them off the children already.
> I’m due for minor surgery in a few weeks’ time, and the surgeon advised me not to catch Covid-19 until then.
Standard masks do very little to protect you from catching COVID-19, they help stop you spreading COVID-19 to other people. That’s why people refusing to mask during the pandemic was such a selfish thing to do.
It’s just for the comfort now. Walking around unmasked feels too naked like wearing a shirts that’s too tight in an unflattering way.
No mask all day, don’t care what others think or what others are doing. Minding my own business and was not bothered on any of the 5 train lines I traveled.
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