@Anurania : seems a bit extreme don't you think? the virus has a 99.8% survival rate.....

@WeveBecomeEastHouston : She didn't threaten anyone or make a statement that she wished lethal harm on anyone. Nothing in her post was inherently against the rules here (a misguided "opinion" if she wasn't joking, yes.). People post misguided opinions all the time here...and a lot of fake news. Not reasons for removal per the user guidelines. The moderators do a lot here behind the scenes. You just don't notice it. We are stealthy like that.

@Sammee : I really wish I had read this after eating the potato salad I'm having for lunch

@Andi7 : makes sense to us to do our part with helping reduce the spread of the virus, so we wear our masks when going into public buildings, socially distance to a practical extent, and wash our hands more frequently than previously. These simple measures will probably also reduce our liklihood of catching the flu this year, but also am glad we do have a flu vaccine that we already received. Personally, I would prefer to have a better mask that actually helps prevent me from picking up a bug from others that are sick and spreading it about when going out rather than just a simple face covering the helps reduce the chance that I may give something to others myself.

@brightlights : I guess we'll see

I wear a mask everywhere I go, often I use hand sanitizer and use my sleeve to open doors and I socially distance. I have no choice, I'm high risk right now and am worried that if I'm carrying it , I can give to someone else. We have got to start looking at this as if we all do it, it will soon be gone. Those who don't have only prolonged the situation. We have literally been in quarantine since the end of Feb. Is it really still worth it to some to not wear it and have to stay in longer? They are projecting we , Texas, will soon be getting another worse wave. I'm exhausted from having to stay home, not be able to see my family and friends, and seriously am sick of my husband. Just wear the damn thing and lets be done with it in a few weeks.

@southernmomma : Please read this and know that surviving this Virus is not the only possible outcome. If you catch it you may also get any number of terrible side effects. Is it really worth it to be blase about it? apnews.com/article/a fs:Content:931363145 7

I still think it should be a choice to wear one or not and not be policed or ridiculed. Pandemics don't last forever. But when they end, it usually isn't because a virus disappears or is eliminated. Instead, they can settle into a population, becoming a constant background presence that occasionally flares up in local outbreaks. SARS-CoV-2 is likely to circulate in the population on a permanent basis, mainly due to the foothold the virus has already established. But what damage endemic COVID-19 causes will depend on different factors, including how often people are reinfected, vaccine effectiveness and adoption, and if the virus mutates in any significant way. The worst-case scenario would be that there isn't a vaccine or long-lasting immunity and people get COVID-19 repeatedly and are just as likely to end up in the hospital as with initial infections.

@Floyd : Exactly and also if they need examples, speed limits, car seats, shots for school etc. . So many things, that we really don't even think twice about, but this is a huge deal????

In 8 mos I have entered 3 business and because of my timing almost no one was in there .I had on my mask & gloves & alcohol wipes . Both grand kids were in town & our oldest daughter wanted to get together at their lake house & we said nope not us . We want 1 person at a time . So granddaughter came & we all 3 had mask on & sat about 15 ft apart . No hugs . Grandson will come before going back to Ca. I would never dream of going somewhere & not protecting myself or others that are there . If people in Japan catch a common cold they wear mask , so you see mask yr round in Japan .

@chasinghosts : So shooting people without a mask isn't extreme, even though the survival rate is that high?Yes there are side effects to these random viruses and other diseases. That's not new. A vaccine also comes with its own set of side effects which the manufacturer is not liable for. If you believe that injecting yourself and family full of heavy metals, live COVID virus and other known carcinogens is the right path - more power to you. It's obvious we do not agree on any of it and will probably not see eye to eye.

Andi7 I think we should have a law with a stiff penality of $1,000 ,00 if your not wearing a mask when your outside of your home . Seat belts were made a law . And if your riding with me & wearing yours & I'm not wearing mine oh well you may live & I may die . But wither I wear mine or not has no effect on you . Because trump has done nothing to protect us & foolishly compared this virus with other viruses people are running around all over the place with no mask on . How awful to not care about the older people & babies & young kids . A infant can't cough stuff up . God forbid they get a plain ole cold .

This is all about control and if you will be a sheeple! I put it on as I go into a store and put it under my nose ASAP!

@bbk : I don't need you to judge or shame me. And I certainly won't do that to you no matter how much hate you toss at me. I care about my elderly parents but they don't wear masks around me and I don't wear one around them. Because we made that choice together. We still spend quality time together, hug and laugh and have since this mess started. Same with my closest friends. I go to the store and wear a mask if the store requires it. I've gone to stores that don't and didn't wear my mask. If you wear a mask and still got someone else sick does that make you a murderer? In my opinion, no. There are so many other ways to get the virus beyond wearing the mask. In the grand scheme of things, live your life the best way you can and as happy as you can because we all don't get off this rock alive.

Do you wear a mask even if a location does not require/enforce it?
Yes. It's so simple to do, but technically the entire state is still under a Governor's mandate. Do you just walk out when there are more people without masks than there are with masks?
No. But, I did quietly and politely leave a restaurant back in July or August when the kitchen staff weren't wearing masks.Do you keep yourself 6 feet from others at all times?
No, it's impossible. I do respect others space, though.Have you walked into a place only to realize you forgot your mask but no one said anything?
NoOr maybe one person did and you just brushed it off?
No@Andi7 :