Everywhere Is Crowded / Post COVID Observations

I have no idea about African Americans wearing masks, but I'm sure that you'll hear opinions.

I've also noticed the crowds and I don't love it. Not because of Covid, I just hate crowds. After a year of relative solitude, it's not easy to adjust to the recovered normal. I will point out that, though I would never hope for a new pandemic, I do miss having that very easy Covid excuse to not do stuff with people. I'm a bit of an introvert, and Covid made being an introvert much easier.

^ Yep my wife and I got used to ordering take out, drinking our own wine or mixed drinks at home, we’d even make it an event and get dressed up like we were really going out to eat. Now, we’ve gone to 1 high end restaurant (good experience) and several mid to low tier restaurants which were all met with hiccups during the dining experience which make us say to ourselves, maybe we are better just ordering take out for the next couple months until the crowds wane and restaurants can get their staff adjusted properly.

@Shailynn

It's been over three weeks since mask mandates were lifted in NJ. Where I live, which is definitely NOT a predominantly white area (it's very ethnically mixed) mask wearing nearly disappeared in just a few days, both inside businesses and out on the street. You'll see a mask here and there, but not much.

However I rode through Newark the other day (high concentration of AA and Hispanic population) and was surprised to see almost everyone on the street still wearing masks, I'm talking at least 95%. I didn't stop anywhere so don't know about stores or restaurants and their policies.

Saturday I met up with a couple friends in Jersey City to visit a gun store and found that there was a line outside and they were only allowing two customers at a time into the small shop. Masks were still mandatory while inside. Afterwards we decided to grab lunch nearby, and all the restaurants still had their mask signs up. However almost no one on the street was wearing one, just going through the symbolic practice of putting it on, walking through the door, and taking it off at the table. There was no "social distancing" at all, as the tables were all very close together and the place was packed with customers.

I was wondering whether these cities are still under mandate at the local level, but I've found nothing to that effect while searching online. So unfortunately I can't offer any explanation for your observation. I can only assume that communities adjust to this newfound "freedom" at different rates, and it's probably driven by a combination of individual preference and business owners' perception of what their customers expect.

Around here I haven't noticed any real problems with slow or poor service at restaurants, even as they've seen an almost immediate doubling or tripling of their business volume. I tend to frequent small family-owned establishments though, so not sure if that makes a difference.

Using blanket assumptions with no real data is pointless. I'd say go to Atlanta, Chicago, Florida, Texas and you'll see different.

It’s funny around here, certain places are packed like the beaches and I see lines at some of the stores in the mall, mask mandates have gone away but there are some stores, like Publix and many Whole Foods markets, where most people and all employees are wearing masks The bank still requires you to wear a mask or they won’t let you in, Downtown area is packed including the restaurants all workers are still masked, and I’d say it’s 50/50 on the part of the customers I do notice the farther north you go in Florida the less masks are worn It seems that Brevard county is the dividing line

goodyman said "Using blanket assumptions with no real data is pointless."

It's a discussion thread on a titty bar website, not a data analysis class at Stanford University. We're sharing personal observations as points of interest. Also, if you eliminated all of the blanket assumptions here, the discussion forums would have more tumbleweeds than talk.

You'll be fine.

One of the most annoying things is when white people refuse to wear masks. They have their noses in the air and act so smug like they're so special. Its always the white trash type.

Yeah; restaurants seem pretty-busy - pent up demand seems like a real thing - and yes IME service has taken a hit

w.r.t. AAs wearing masks - AAs are almost all Dems and the Dem party mantra has mostly been wear a mask or you're gonna die

Why does anyone who has gotten fully vaccinated care who does or doesn’t wear a mask?

Wait for the next surge