comment: >
  
  I work in healthcare (imaging) and we have no quarantine rules. If you are positive and symptomatic, you still have to come in to work.
context: What do you expect people to do? You're not going to mandate that employers give people sick leave, or indeed any paid leave at all; you're not going to cover any expenses for people who can't work, you're not going to give people healthcare. You're not going to mandate businesses enforce social distancing or anything like that. When you say "take precautions and avoid close contact" you mean "... except for sitting in a crowded office for 50hrs/week". >
  
  I got COVID last year. Wore a mask constantly but none of my coworkers did. Zero social distancing. I was required to not be at work for two weeks. And I had to use my PTO. So because I had to go to work in person, was the only one wearing a mask and my mouth breathing coworkers didn't care anyway I got sick and had little time off last year other than being told to stay at home. Gee can't imagine why people are burnt out. >
  
  All my PTO this year went to covid and then the flu a few months later.
  No vacation for me. >
  
  Will increasing the price of the vaccine from $0 to $140 be helpful? >
  
  I was just about to say, doesn’t seem like any of these pharmaceutical manufacturers are considering Americans safety a priority with the 400% increase either. >
  
  They never were. >
  
  I hate to say it but this deep into the pandemic it's going to take 100,000's of deaths very quickly to even get an iota of the publics attention again. >
  
  I'm confused about why this is news... "People are not taking this seriously" was pretty clear at the start of this pandemic. >
  
  It's interesting. Of course we are all aware of the people who never took it seriously but lets not forget that their were many of us who took it very seriously. 
  We obeyed the lockdown(s), we spent Christmas alone, we worse masks, we did a lot. 
  It got the point where the same amount of people that died during 9/11 were dying each day of Covid. I think now most people don't really care now even if that many were dying a day. >
  
  And it's not just the people deciding they don't care anymore. The lockdowns have almost all ended, the travel bans have lifted, the mask laws have loosened. People stopped isolating and masking because they don't have to anymore. 
  Then there's our mental capacity. 2020 took a toll on most, if not all of us, one way or another. The stress was huge. But we can't live in such stress too long. We just wouldn't make it. So we get used to the situation, and stop stressing that much. 
  Take a war for example. I can't speak about WW2, but I can speak about the current war in Ukraine. It depends on where you live, but I'm in Poland and housed and talked with Ukrainians and I've heard at least some anecdotal information. At first, everyone was terrified. Some managed to leave and run to safety. But the people who stayed and continued to live under the attacks, they can't just spend 24/7 in their basements. They have to keep going to work if they can, they have to go out to buy food, medicine etc. And sure they're all still scared, and they're all still in constant danger. But they have to live with it, and can't take all the safety precautions forever. >
  
  The London Blitz mentality. Keep calm and carry on. >
  
  Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way >
  
  The time is gone, the song is over >
  
  Thought I'd've something more to say >
  
  Home, home again, I like to be here when I can >
  
  They really don’t. My work wanted me back after 5 days despite me still having a fever and full symptoms. I lasted 5 minutes before I was told to go home and talked to about putting others at risk. You told me if I didn’t go in I would be fired. >
  
  
  You told me if I didn’t go in I would be fired.
  
  A friend of mine at a previous job was pulled into a meeting with HR and his boss. They told him that he was in trouble for working more than 30 hours a week the last two weeks because he wasn't supposed to have benefits, but working that many hours would require it 
  He replied that they had been the ones to set his schedule, not him.
  They ignored that and told him not to do it again.
  He pointed out that he was already scheduled for more than 30 hours the next two weeks.
  They replied that he wasn't to go over 30 hours.
  He asked if they were telling him not to come in the next day.
  They told him no, he was scheduled for that day, so he needed to be there.
  He pointed out that this would put him over 30 hours. They told him he couldn't do that.
  Again he asked "So I shouldn't come in?"
  He was told he had to be there, and he'd be punished if he didn't show up, but he would also be punished if he went over thirty hours.
  My best guess with this runaround is that they hoped to intimidate him into showing up but not clocking in. >
  
  I would ask for them to please put this in writing for me, so that I won't forget the policy, and be able to properly follow it. >
  
  That's where you follow up with an email and bcc your personal email. State you were told you were required to come in tomorrow, this will put you over 30 hours, if they don't want you to come in, please let you know in writing. >
  
  And then let the state labor board know. >
  
  Some states like FL have no state level DoL while others like MO have no teeth to do anything but provide documents that may be used as proof in your favor that can be used in small claims (another can of worms). In that case, they need to go to the federal DoL. >
  
  Might as well write the same article every day for 3 years straight maybe it will work at some point. >
  
  Yep. It's already too late, people are "bored" of covid so good luck getting most folk to mask and social distance again. 
  Edit: I'm pro vax, fyi. quit yelling at me. >
  
  
  people are "bored" of covid
  
  Yes, because it's totally normal for millions of people to live in constant fear of getting sick for 2+ years straight with 0 hope of it getting any better.
  People learn to accept the new level of risk and go on with their lives. Can't hide in a hole your whole life. I wouldn't call that being "bored" of covid, it's more of tired of living in fear of something beyond our ability to contain further.
  A good chunk of this country alone is batshit insane thinking vaccines are the true threats and would rather inject bleach into themselves. What can you do about a section of the population basically intentionally ensuring covid never dies? We're all fucked and covid restrictions are not sustainable. Ensuring children are required to be inoculated against covid is about the best result we'll get going forward. It's already been made a stupid political game. >
  
  Except that it's not that difficult to contain. People were refusing to wear masks a month after the original outbreak due to conspiracies and political tribalism and we STILL have people insisting that the vaccines turn their nipples turquoise and are actually tracking chips.
  Coming to terms with reality does not mean denying reality. The risk is being forced on all of us. There is a reason our death toll is well above the worldwide average. >
  
  
  it’s not that difficult to contain 
  people were refusing to wear masks a month after the original outbreak
  
  It is difficult to contain, because a large number of people suck and there’s nothing any of us can do about it >
  
  My government job required all the employees to mask up two weeks ago.  Literally and I mean literally no one wore them and it was just dropped. It's now just tracked as flu 2.0 on our daily emails. >
  
  My government job was work at home until May 2021 when we were ordered 100% back to the office with about 10 days notice from the Governor's office. About a year later, we stopped tracking or doing anything COVID related because the Governor's office declared victory over the illness. We had an outbreak in December (2022) but the organizational safety folks ignored it and continued writing people up over failing to observe proper procedure when fastening and unfastening the seat belt in a car. >
  
  sounds state level.  what state? >
  
  In unrelated news, all of these companies are doing back to office >
  
  Fatigue is real and if I'm still in danger after being triple vaxxed and having it twice... what the fuck are we supposed to do? >
  
  Not to mention that we aren’t being compensated for not working. I literally can’t afford to miss a week a work over a runny nose. >
  
  Idk about just a runny nose. I had it last month, I am vaxed & boosted 3 times, and it still knocked me and my spouse on our asses for about 3 days. >
  
  The people who downplay covid either haven't had it, or were lucky enough to not be effected by it that much. >
  
  True.  I have it and am sitting here with weird tingly body aches and a 101 fever, feeling delusional.  It can be nasty. >
  
  This paragraph right here:
  “There’s accumulating data that repeated Covid accumulates risk for short- and long-term complications, including cardiovascular, mental health and other problems,” Ray said. “We will only know in retrospect exactly how big this cost is. But evolving data suggests that there is a cost that’s incremental as we accumulate infections.” >
  
  Why doesn’t the immune system get stronger with repeated exposure. That’s terrifying. >
  
  Because you’re NOT a perfectly designed machine. Upper level college science courses always tell you it’s less “survival of the fittest” and more “reproduction of the good enough”. It’s the same reason that gazelles don’t just “get faster” and outrun the cheetah by now. >
  
  Yup. And the other key thing is that if something doesn't have an onset until after child bearing age, it has far less selective pressure against it. That is why some afflictions of the elderly never seem to get less common and we as a species don't really get better at dealing with them. They have next to no impact on our ability to reproduce and pass on our genes. >
  
  And our adaptations are frankly, very bad. “Oh malaria keeps messing with your blood?  Well now your blood cells twist into an unusable sickle shape. You’ll die slightly less so I count this as a win!” >
  
  And Moderna will start charging for a medication that was paid for by us. Over 100 a shot of you want protection. Pharmaceutical extortion. I hope the CEOs all get genital warts on their faces. >
  
  If you haven’t learned anything from the past 7 years, know this: society is fucked. Capitalism rules and controls all, efforts to address global warming, pandemics, gun violence, medical/drug prices, women’s rights, wage disparities, political/justice corruption, gerrymandering, higher education costs, etc are only going to make progress if there’s something corporations gain from supporting it. There’s no morality only convenience and profit.  
  What’s going to happen is we are going to continue to complain on social media while the country burns, people are so divided politically that it’s impossible to unite for a common cause due to hatred of other people’s differences. People/companies with money only care about more money and support a divided country that can’t condemn them unequivocally >
  
  This is what national strikes are for. We are going to have to get serious about making changes, if we want anything to change. Folks aren’t quite hungry enough but we will get there. An ideological revolution is in progress, and inflation is throwing gas on the fire right now. >
  
  
  This is what national strikes are for.
  
  Which would be fine if the average person had enough money saved up that they could handle being out of work for the time required to do that, but with stagnant wages and inflation and such that's rare... and in the U.S. their healthcare also being tied to their employment...
  You'd almost think things were rigged in such a way as to specifically discourage people protesting and striking during circumstances like these... >
  
  You're not even close.
  The system isn't just rigged. It's hidden in plain sight and has been a part of us since the founding of our country. Americans both want the lie to some extent and are ignorant of it at the same time. Income inequality is part of our culture.
  I actually know how to overthrow a civil oligarchy. But I cannot say without getting banned from reddit and possibly flagged by the FBI. 
  That's what makes this problem so extreme. The "cure" to fix it is just as bad as the "disease". And nobody is going to fight a war when no one understands the problem or really believes in the cause.
  My advice, get used to the way things are because it is what it is. As a Gen X, I plan to ride this shit storm until I die >
  
  I work in healthcare (imaging) and we have no quarantine rules. If you are positive and symptomatic, you still have to come in to work. >
  
  Yeah, it's insane that the government just threw up their hands and went "it's your responsibility" after removing worker protections, widespread free testing, mask mandates, etc. >
  
  The whole thing highlighted that government's only master is business. They do whatever companies decide is best for their profits. >
  
  We are way past the point of getting the general public to care again. It's been at least a year since there were any kind of restrictions or major precautions around here and getting anyone to go back is going to be impossible. Most people believe COVID is over and will continue to think that unless people start falling over dead in the streets. >
  
  Look, I am fully Vaxxed and boosted and wore a mask for the two weeks after the holidays just to be safe in the office. But in general people are not dying of Covid anymore, and the incidence of serious illness, especially those resulting in an admission, are extremely rare. I’m just not sure that quote “Covid” means but it did two years ago.
  I worked on a Covid only inpatient unit in literally one of the first cities in the country that was hit with Covid. We brought in freezer trucks to store bodies because our morgue ran out of space. We literally ran out of body bags. Two of my colleagues ended up in the ICU, intubated.That is absolutely not happening right now.
  So, while I have been very supportive, obviously of Covid science, and lockdowns, when appropriate, the idea that the situation we are dealing with today, deserves the same level of urgency, scrutiny, and awareness that Covid did one to three years ago is a stretch I think.
  To me, this is really simple: be fully vaccinated. If you are not feeling well, test yourself. If you are negative and have cold symptoms, wear a mask and encourage others to wear a mask around you if you were Covid positive, isolate yourself. What I just outlined is insufficient, what exactly are we all proposing? >
  
  My wife's mom, dad, brother, and sister in law all have covid, and can't smell or taste anything. 
  Guess what my MIL is doing all next week?
  Working.... at the hospital she's been at for 20 years because she's afraid she'll be fired if she misses any more work.
  Saying people aren't taking this seriously is a massive understatement. 
  A more accurate description is "Nobody gives a fuck." >
  
  Every person I know who works in healthcare is expected to be back after day 5. And most people cannot afford to lose their job, so what do you do? It’s ridiculous. >
  
  massive labor rights reform. How do you actually do that.. I have no idea. >
  
  I think people have just thrown in the towel. You have a large percentage of people who have been taking it seriously since day one and an even larger percentage that refuses to do the tiniest things to help the situation.
  I myself still follow the regular precautions, but I am exhausted. The majority of my coworkers give zero fucks, so every step I take to be proactive and safe is effectively useless. >
  
  I was one of the most militant adherents to being safe and I’ve essentially given up, what’s the fucking point. I get my boosters and wash my hands, that’s literally the only control I have. >
  
  I still wear an N95 when it’s crowded. I’m just taking care of myself at this point. >
  
  Great point! For some reason, a lot of people (including people replying to your comment) seem to think "I can't do 2020 again, lockdown was awful" and somehow that means their only option is to take zero precautions and just get covid repeatedly. There is a middle ground!! Not just two absolute choices. It's crazy how much "normal" stuff you can do while wearing a KN95 or similar, and if you're careful and smart about it, you can just about eliminate the risk of getting covid. 2020 locked isn't sustainable long term, but some precautions are! >
  
  here we go again blaming the victims
  JOBS are not taking this seriously. forcing people to go back to work, threatening to fire people if they call out, etc
  POLITICIANS are not taking this seriously, lifting mandates and masking, etc
  PHARMA is not taking this seriously by axing free vaccines etc
  FUCK OFF WITH THE VICTIM BLAMING
  PEOPLE... are just trying to survive and pay their bills >
  
  My job stopped giving a fuck a long time ago and if we get covid and have to stay home it's either unpaid or have to file a medical claim thru sedgwick which is a giant pain in the ass and crap money. So everyone just goes into work if they are not bed ridden. >
  
  It's so bad that everyone in our county got a call from the emergency manager saying not to go to the ER for flu like symptoms, to visit your primary care or urgent care. Three weeks ago I felt unwell, so I went to urgent care. Luckily it turned out to be a severe allergy flare up, but when I left there was a three hour wait, so those places are are overwhelmed too.
  I'm a county school employee so I can't stay home, and they've pretty much declared Covid over and mandating in person meetings with some exceptions, so I do what I can, which means not going to a lot of social events unless outdoors, and wearing a mask in stores. I'm also vaccinated and double boosted. >
  
  Why were people going to the ER for flu like symptoms to begin with? That seems pretty standard that a person should just go to their primary care physician if they have the flu. >
  
  If you're not high risk or having unusual flu symptoms like trouble breathing why do you need to see anyone? Isn't standard practice that you should just stay home and rest, etc? >
  
  Because if you don't have a doctor's note, it's an unexcused absence and therefore a fireable offense, and PCPs are booking weeks out, so it's ER, urgent care, or lose your job. It's fucked up an unnecessary and wastes everyone's time and exposes people to further risk, but it's still common practice in the majority of workplaces. >
  
  This is where Telehealth should come in. Proper utilization of Telehealth could improve healthcare costs, quality, and efficiency. I’ve actually used it a few times recently and it’s been perfect for getting prescriptions and ordering tests. >
  
  I mean yes, definitely, but also workplaces should treat their employees like adults and assume they know when they're sick just as a baseline. >
  
  I work at a clinic and I swear we get a staff email every few days telling us a coworker has Covid and was at the worksite recently. >
  
  Seems like at this point, the pandemic could take 6 billion of us and the remaining 2 billion would be like, “oh well”. >
  
  Its not that everyone isn't taking this seriously but because there's no incentive to. The US has no protections that would benefit us during a pandemic. Our social safety nets are a joke and the support systems we have barely function. I got covid twice (vaxxed and boosted) and both times had to take PTO because I don't get sick leave. I have friends who have long covid who cannot do full time work and are financially fucked because of this. 
  COVID tests aren't subsidized anymore nor is treatment. So now if I get sicked, despite having really good health insurance, I'm financially fucked. >
  
  I honestly don't know what "they" expect from us. I know people who became suicidal because they took the first round / 2020 so seriously it broke them. People can't live scared indefinitely. >
  
  I think people are just burnt out.  You can only worry about something for so long >
  
  Yea I just can't bring myself to care. Feels nice >
  
  What are we supposed to do!? I put my life on hold for literal years and it did nothing because not enough people in this county were careful together? At some point people Gatta accept that if we aren’t being diligent as a community it means nothing. Folks who were being careful and cautious are fatigued and can’t do it alone. >
  
  I was nervous, but I started traveling again in 2022. I had been taking it seriously since day one, staying on top of vaccines, masking, social distancing, etc. Even when family and friends around us got horribly sick, people played loose with the risks while I stayed away and careful, because everyone thought they would be the exception to catching it. 
  Eventually I had to start living. 2 years was my breaking point, and it was clear this was as good as it was going to get. >
  
  Some, like me, are lucky. We can stay home and accomplish everything we need. Others can't take an indefinite break from their lives and careers >
  
  People have been getting so many mixed messages from the government, of course they’re not taking this seriously. This is what happens when the government worries more about business than the wellbeing of the people. >
  
  I went for an ophthalmologist appointment, they had signs up in the clinic apologizing for their service, because so many staff were out sick.  No one was wearing a mask.  When I suggested that if they enforce masking they might have fewer staffing problems, they said they were following CDC recommendations, which do not recommend masking.
  Public health institutions have completely surrendered to COVID.  I no longer have any faith we'll do anything meaningful about climate change. >
  
  That's crazy, anything even tangentially medical has been strictly enforcing mask usage since 2020 and that hasn't changed at all in my area. >
  
  Where do you live?  That's not the case at all in the southern US. And this is in a major city (Austin).
  I do see better masking compliance when I'm back in California, but it's still pretty random if the medical staff will be wearing one correctly, or if they'll just hurriedly pull it up when someone comes in. >
  
  Metro Atlanta doctors’ offices are still masking. At my eye doctor’s office, the doctors wear a mask, but the rest of the staff don’t. >
  
  Wow, who would’ve thought that giving the “Don’t Look Up” treatment to a virus wouldn’t work? >
  
  I was rooting for the meteor throughout that movie. >
  
  Remember when they all started sticking spoons to their foreheads in townhall meetings to prove themselves right?
  Oh wait that was real life and not the movie. >
  
  Wait what? Is that real? Source? >
  
  I did my part. Worked as an essential worker, took the vaccine when it was first available, wore my mask, distanced from others, and eventually got COVID anyways. I don’t care anymore, I’m tired of it being a hindrance to daily life. It is what it is. We are never going to control the damn thing or eradicate it until we have a vaccine that fully prevents it. >
  
  Same. I did everything I was supposed to. Got the jabs, masked everyday, lost thousands of dollars in lost work that unemployment STILL hasn't paid me 2 and a half years later, sat indoors for lockdowns etc. 
  Either rise up and kill us all or fuck off and let me go get a beer cheese pretzel in peace. >
  
  Unemployment didn't process my claim for ten months, then said I'd get money on this prepaid card, then never gave me money, just an empty card. It takes hours to get someone on the phone so I gave up. >
  
  I got half of my unemployment after I went back to work. I took a job I despised because I was completely broke after not working for nearly 5 months. 
  I finish work on the Friday, Saturday morning I go to check my final balance of roughly 20 bucks so I could get some beer and sad drink about it. Boom. 5 fucking grand. Would have been nice to get that a week earlier. >
  
  I just got over my third case of COVID. I got all my boosters and this was still my worst case yet, the fatigue is still killing me and my cardio fitness is completely shot >
  
  I tested positive and my insurance didn't want to take me seriously, told me I was young and would probably get better. And I was like yeah I know I'll probably get better, but can I get the medication y'all have. The online doctor sighed and said 'fiiine, but I don't think you need it'
  I had also called the number on a the government site that had the 'Test to Treat' initiative, requested info, they asked for my email, started giving it to them and they just hung up on me. The US doesn't care about it, or so it seems to be my experience. Also, fuck our healthcare. >
  
  All those what wanted to be protected are (or are taking proper precautions)  let nature take its course. >
  
  All I know is that the next pandemic/epidemic to hit the USA and the country is fucking finished.  Literally.  30-40% of the population is going to purposely sabotage ANY attempts to contain it.  It's a situation that nobody on earth has ever prepared for because it was too fucking stupid to spend time on.  Literally nobody would have ever thought this large of a percentage of the population would fight for their right to spread a virus.  It's inconceivable >
  
  No shit. People are fucking morons. >
  
  I'm over it. Every person I interact with is vaccinated and boosted, I test my kid every other week, and we keep everyone home anytime we have so much as a sniffle. I'm sick of it never being enough, and having someone decry that the sky is falling every other week. >
  
  Kudos for doing the right thing. You're right, it is very frustrating.
  FWIW, I don't think it's because you aren't doing enough. It's because most people are doing so much less. >
  
  Sucks to carry the weight for all the conspiracy theorists just to be cannibalized by your own >
  
  To be honest I have never felt anyone pressure me about all this, (granted I already wear a mask in public), so can I ask where you’re being pressured from? >
  
  I literally don’t give a fuck anymore. It has been years and I’ve gotten every shot and I’m just not gonna fucking hide inside another fucking day. Fuck off >
  
  Because politicians and governments politicize the issue too much now people don’t give a ish. At this point, everyone who takes it seriously needs to just protect themselves. >
  
  I'm just go ahead and say it, I don't have any more energy for this, I'm boosted 4 times, I'm gonna go out and live my life, if I die, I die. >
  
  People are just tired of it and mostly just learned to live with it. >
  
  You’re getting downvotes by the rabid fuckwads of Reddit but you’re right. Your statement is pretty mundane but anything against their narrative is considered heresy. >
  
  Dude, it's fucking insane. Anyone who doesn't agree with them is either a troll or a conspiracy theorist apparently. 
  I had three shots, wore a mask, stayed at home etc but you can't do that indefinitely ffs. At some point you need to learn to live with it. >
  
  Given the fact that life is becoming more unlivable by the day due to inflation and cost of living, making masks mandatory indoors again would create complete chaos for essential workers. The world is ever more angry, scary and I fear we are at a tipping point as a society. >
  
  I've been depressed most of my life and in twenty years I feel like I've gone from an outlier to the norm.
  Like, I can't think of a single friend who hasn't casually commented about suicide or being brutally depressed in recent years.
  Also, neither here nor there, but considering how fucked everything is long term economically and ecologically, I don't see what difference this pandemic makes. >
  
  Well I suppose the difference is something akin to a clogged toilet and a clogged toilet with a shit mountain in it. Either way, you wish someone would fix the toilet, but some people don't see any sense in adding to the mountain, so they do their best not to add to the shit. Sadly, eventually, we all have to shit >
  
  Convenient when vaccines aren’t going to be free anymore. I took the ones that were free and the boosters but I’m not paying out of pocket. Hopefully my insurance will cover them like flu shots if needed. >
  
  I think people have become acclimatized to bad news about Covid, like mass shootings in the USA. It no longer alarms us as we've heard it so many times before. More deaths from Covid? Just another normal day. >
  
  I guess I picked the best possible time to get brain cancer. 🤷‍♂️ >
  
  Covid vaccines are accessible almost anywhere now and shown to be very resilient against the strain. We have covid kits to tell whether or not we have them.
  Its less of not caring and more of knowing you'll never change the mind of those who never cared. Those who do care got vaccinated with a booster. Most of us are safe from the effects that used to be very deadly. >
  
  Let me tell you a tale. There once was a boy. This boy got eaten by a wolf. I don't remember the middle of the story. >
  
  So why don’t we pay our healthcare “heroes” a wage high enough that they will be willing to go to the front lines again to take care of the masses of sick and dying. To me “taking COVID seriously” means investing in health care professionals and healthcare infrastructure (hospitals, beds, ICU beds, etc) >
  
  I just got covid for the first time since it broke out in the US. My husband and I work together and have two other co-workers. Our whole business shut down while we recovered, responsibly so, but now that I've been through some of the potential symptoms, I gotta reiterate what others have said:
  Take it seriously. People downplay it like it's a flu and that "it's not an issue for the average healthy person," but we're all average healthy people in my shop. I've never had just a flu absolutely scramble my brains before, but covid did. People want to blame covid brain fog on fevers, I barely got a light fever for longer than 20 minutes. A month and a half later and I still struggle to formulate spoken sentences correctly. Focus is nearly impossible. Never mind the fact that now I get headaches almost daily where I was never the one to suffer headaches in my 31 years. That shit did something to my noggin. Influenza doesn't mash brains and screw up nerves the way covid does, and certainly not for the "average individual."
  Diseases change, health codes change as the population grows, and economies shift, but illness doesn't give a shit if you made money last week. The only people who do give a shit about your money are you and the people with their hands out, and they don't give a flying fuck about your well-being. I hope folks (employers) are out there helping others where they can. I know smaller businesses try to more often than corporate, and that really speaks volumes to our situation. Bless those landlords who are also helping where they can, too. There's way more important shit out there than money. That shit just comes and goes. >
  
  We have to share the country with Republicans so of course this shit will drag on forever >
  
  Maybe just maybe many in the US don’t understand why they should bother giving a fuck about other peoples lives and wear a mask when it is painfully obvious no one gives a shot about anyone but themselves in the US. >
  
  Until it affects people personally, they just can't get behind any more preventative measures.  Of course when their loved one dies "why didn't the government warn us?!" >
  
  Are these “experts” not expert enough to realize that human decency lost the war against covid? Half of the country refused to play ball, and we all suffered for 3 years because of it. We’re done. It’s not worth the fight anymore. >
  
  Let's see...
  So called leaders says, stay home no eating, no school on virtual, ect.
  So called leaders breaks rules....
  And people are surprised they are not taking this seriously. >
  
  I still wear a mask if anyone outside the family is in our home. I don’t wear a mask outside but I do if I am in any building with the exception of our house. I’ve had six Covid shots, am up-to-date on all of my other vaccinations.
  The difference is I have a blood cancer which renders my immune system to be pathetic at best. I have chosen to survive this pandemic and have yet to catch Covid. >
  
  I got 4 shots including the bivalent, I wear my mask on public transport and in crowded situations, and I still sanitize because I always did, because germs are gross and I don’t trust the filthy general public to not be gross. (I’ve worked retail. I’ve seen some shit). 
  But sorry, I’m not living like it’s March 2020 and social distancing and staying home for the rest of my natural life. I think there’s some people who genuinely want that from the way they act when the topic comes up. >
  
  The point for mandatory masks, social distancing, and wfh was to flatten the curve so we could develop the vaccines and hospitals weren’t overwhelmed. Now that we have vaccines and effective antivirals I’m not surprised life is back to normal. Covid was never going to “go away”, we’ve just learned to live with it. Wasn’t that the goal? >
  
  When people see politicians and celebrities not taking COVID seriously, then people will less likely care about it. 
  I still mask whenever there's a surge and having the flu stinks big time. But whenever I watch royals and heads of state and celebrities out in huge crowds without masks and then have the news about COVID surge on another channel,  I'm getting mixed messages. >
  
  When you look up COVID Surge you will find an article from basically every day for the past 3 years. >
  
  Sometimes fear mongering has the opposite effect. Just make sure the right at home management is common knowledge, and help the public get on the habit of boosters like the seasonal flu shots. Make it as a small deal as possible. 
  Of course it doesn’t go well with channels who get paid to sensationalize covid for 3 years already. >
  
  Urgent care nurse here… general public do not care. I’ve heard patients be grateful it’s COVID, and not RSV or flu. These people also have no issues with letting family over for the holidays with a positive test, because it would be inconvenient for their guest. >
  
  Well i mean my child has RSV right now and he's at 104f fever on and off for 3 days. He had covid in November and it was basically a cold... I'm more worried about RSV right now >
  
  I haven’t worn one in a bit, but I’m back to wearing a mask when I go grocery shopping or in large crowds.  Why?  Every January these cases go up.
  I’m low risk and I’m sure I’ve had it multiple times and didn’t even know.  However, I’ve read enough about the hidden consequences of C19 they are discovering to not want it anymore than necessary.   People’s heart and brain are getting affected long-term.  Who knows what else.
  Plus, there are lots of other germs going around anyways.  Literally the first thing I saw at the store yesterday was some hag open coughing all over the place.
  I’m honestly not some avid masker but I will be until this season is over. >
  
  I wear my mask everywhere and am vaccinated, still caught the shit last week.  Taking it seriously only matters if other people care enough to bother. >
  
  Idiots can't be bothered masking or vaxxing or social distancing, dooming us all to an eternity of this crap. I hate Americans. >
  
  This is called the "denial" stage, ladies and gentlemen.
  COVID is wrecking my friends. We're in our twenties. Stay sharp. We're not out of this quite yet. >
  
  After three years of avoiding it, I had to attend CES in Las Vegas for my work, and came back with it. Been positive since Monday last week. Still positive as of last night. I feel fine otherwise but damn.....damn damn damn I did so well for so long. >
  
  With the way 2023 has started, another quarantine would probably mentally benefit me to be honest. >
  
  While certainly a public health issue, Covid is no longer a novel virus. >
  
  
  Yet booster uptake has been “pitiful”, said Neil Sehgal, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
  
  Before everyone poo poos this article for expecting public businesses to try and re-enforce social distance crowd controls and full masking, the main issue they are driving is that people aren't getting the newer bivalent boosters and more people are ending up in hospitals than there should be.
  Take it seriously enough to get your booster, otherwise live your life. You don't want the hospitals full of COVIDiots when you need emergency care for other stuff. >
  
  I think they burnt all goodwill a long time ago. When people were getting furloughed they could have paid them to stay home. They could have supported the people who did have to work in dangerous situations. When the vaccine came out they could have shared technology and made a serious push to get as many manufacturers distributing it globally as possible instead of holding onto copyrights. It was the probably outcome from the start, but it was obvious by late 2021 when new variants were continuing to show up and the Biden administration didn't have any mitigation plan that this was just going to be a problem that never goes away and that we all have to deal with. I am a pretty serious runner and took a major long-term hit to my lung capacity when Germany finally opened up and I got it last June. It's horrible. But I don't see any point in quarantining indefinitely, and I don't think it is fair to put the onus on the public when our government under both presidents has obstructed the obvious steps to mitigate this. >
  
  laughs in year 3 of long haul. >
  
  You ain’t getting that particular cat back into the bag. 
  Like, ever. >
  
  I had managed to avoid COVID for the last 3 years until last week. I’m fully vaxxed and it was still brutal. Heath Ly with no comorbidities. >
  
  People are fucking done. What’s so hard to understand? >
  
  Well there is a cure for that!  Pfizer advertising there is a  new and improved vax!  5th time is the charm! Let’s all roll up our sleeves! >
  
  Obviously we've never heard the Fable of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".
  The credibility of some of these "experts" is lower than Trump's ability to get elected. >
  
  Three years... 4 vaccinations/boosters including the new biwhatever it is.
  Finally got it last Monday luckily a mild case so far.
  I don't regret being careful this long, it allowed me to get the antiviral (which leaves an awful taste in your mouth during the course) and hopefully a more mild version of the virus.
  Still sucked even though it was mild. >
  
  The options are masking and distancing for the rest of your life, or roll the dice with covid infections. Most people have accepted the risk and moved on.
  The disconnect is that the brains of these two groups of people operate differently and it's very hard to understand each other for this reason. This is the case with all sort of risks. >
  
  Yep. Been very sick the last few days and just got tested today to find out I have Covid. I'm almost certain I got it from work, as my job stopped taking any precautions about half a year ago, and now I'm worried they'll try and force me back before I can get better. :( >
  
  I and my folks currently have Covid. First time, since I was presumed positive in March 2020. Omicron is supposedly a lot easier than Covid 1.0, but this still sucks. And that’s being on Paxlovid. >
  
  Our Government certainly isn't taking it seriously at all >
  
  I work food service. Covid fatigue made me quit and move to a position where I don’t have to interact with customers— because I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. During the worst of it, I had trumpers screaming at me for trying to make them wear a mask for all of 10 minutes for them to get their food and leave. I had people who followed the rules and got vaxxed screaming at me for allowing co workers to be without masks when they got vaxxed. I’m tired. I’ve given up hope of seeing the end of COVID in my lifetime due to politics. It makes me sick—but I can’t do anything about it. I see people on Reddit and elsewhere telling us to do more. 
  I refuse. I’ve done everything I could— vaxxed, boosted, wore a mask when I should have. I can’t control what other people are doing and I am tired of trying to make up for what other people are lacking. 
  For those who care, we are taking this seriously. This headline should read— “People who never cared in the first place about Covid will continue not to care and fuck this up for the rest of us.” 
  This turned into more a rant than I wanted so I apologize, but I am sick of this. For context I live in the south in a very red area of Texas. I still work food service but in the kitchens now. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to customer service due to all of this. >
  
  Still trending downward overall in terms of hospitalization and death. They’re just ginning up controversy and clicks at this point. >
  
  Here in Colorado, the overall numbers are still trending down too. >
  
  I mean the President said it’s over. So what do you expect? Truly, how can anyone be surprised? >
  
  I was scared for most of 2020. I did what was told even when instructions changed constantly.. mask/no mask/mask, vaccine will protect you and others/just kidding..vaccine will make it less lethal…lives on surfaces for weeks/just kidding.. it doesn’t. And on and on.. 
  No one can live like that. If I’m sick I stay home. Pretty simple. >
  
  How about the RICH aren't taking this seriously?
  We have no mandated, paid COVID19 leave anymore. That stopped months and months ago. Workers have ZERO more protections in being able to isolate, refuse service, or do ANYTHING that won't face retaliation in the workplace. If people had appropriate paid sick leave, a lot more people would be 'taking this seriously'.
  If the rich aren't taking it seriously (and they fucking aren't), why would anyone else? I don't condone it, I'm just saying can we please stop blaming the working poor (most of the USA rn) and look at the people in charge. >
  
  Maaaaaaaaaaaaan I’ve worked COVID ICU since the start of the pandemic. Medical system doesn’t care. 
  Nothing has changed since we started. Companies are still making record profit, my hospital still cancels us when the census is low because profits, the patients don’t care anymore. 
  I don’t care anymore. I’ll treat you if you’re sick and it sucks but goddamn what does it take to make change on a societal scale? 
  Death. Lots of it. Lots and lots of death. And disability. Let’s add that in. We didn’t have enough of that. More and more frequently the general public just doesn’t care about each other. So…bring it. Hard times make strong people, strong people make easy times, easy times make weak people, weak people make hard times. We are in the weak people phase right now. How many damn billionaires and corporations have lifted a finger to help the people? And the people just sit back and blame each other. Getting into fights about antifa and BLM and what have you. Meanwhile, the world collapses around us. >
  
  The US treats disease prevention as a luxury in a country that is increasingly impoverished. This is the inevitable result. >
  
  They should mandatorily close all the small businesses but let the corporate ones stay open again. That was pretty cool. >
  
  We already shut down the economy for way longer than we needed to. The vaccine has been out and anyone who needed or wanted it got it. Everyone needs to evaluate their own risk and act accordingly. >
  
  We took it seriously for almost 3 years. All of us got vaccinated, and did our part social distancing and wearing masks. 
  Now we’re going back to life. >
  
  People are tribal, stubborn, and stupid. More at 8. >
  
  I got my Omicron booster in early September, a few days after it became available. I had been waiting for it all year. >
  
  Well maybe if the media didn’t scaremonger so much, people would be more inclined to take things seriously. I mean look how quick monkey pox came and went. >
  
  Monkey pox was super easy to not get though, hard to fear monger that when prevention basically comes down to "avoid anonymous, bareback orgies." >
  
  I'm getting tired of public places having empty hand sanitizer dispensers.  They seem to just not care anymore.
  It may not be the most important mitigation method, but it can't hurt.  And it's great at helping to prevent colds and flu.  Plus, people are nasty and don't wash their hands, so I like being able to sanitize any time I use a public restroom. >
  
  Seriously, if this pandemic has taught people one thing, it should be that people are nasty when it comes to hand washing. Ick! >
  
  I'll keep getting boosters, but I'm over masks. Fatigue definitely hit me a long time ago, and I see hundreds of people a day with maybe only 2 being masked. >
  
  Will increasing the price of the vaccine from $0 to $140 be helpful? >
  
  Will forcing people back to the office for no reason be helpful? >
  
  Will removing the extra covid sick days be helpful? >
  
  Wow, you get sick days? What a novelty! >
  
  Nah, just PTO. So, I can either take a vacation or get sick. 
  America, fuck yeah... >
  
  In unrelated news, all of these companies are doing back to office >
  
  My company is starting to get frustrated with me not coming to the office. I keep telling them I'm not coming back to the office. So many other companies I can work for remotely but everyone else is going back. They are flying a bunch of people from different states this week. One of the upper management emailed and said "everyone is required to work in the office this week".  Austin, where I live, has been elevated to medium risk.  Am I fuck going in. >
  
  I donno are you fuck going in? >
  
  Am I fuck, mate. Am. I. Fuck. >
  
  On this hallowed MLK Jr. Day Eve, we are all fuck. >
  
  What do you expect people to do? You're not going to mandate that employers give people sick leave, or indeed any paid leave at all; you're not going to cover any expenses for people who can't work, you're not going to give people healthcare. You're not going to mandate businesses enforce social distancing or anything like that. When you say "take precautions and avoid close contact" you mean "... except for sitting in a crowded office for 50hrs/week". >
  
  I got COVID last year. Wore a mask constantly but none of my coworkers did. Zero social distancing. I was required to not be at work for two weeks. And I had to use my PTO. So because I had to go to work in person, was the only one wearing a mask and my mouth breathing coworkers didn't care anyway I got sick and had little time off last year other than being told to stay at home. Gee can't imagine why people are burnt out. >
  
  All my PTO this year went to covid and then the flu a few months later.
  No vacation for me. >
  
  Assuming the human race survives another 100 years, this is going to be a thing that kids learn about in history class and think "damn that would've sucked to live then"
  So dystopian, I'm sorry that happened. Hopefully you'll be in a better situation this year >
  
  Isn't it happening now? How many times do people chime in from European countries and go on about what they get and can't believe the richest country on the planet has no paid sick leave law? >
  
  It's not even a case of "paid sick leave". The entire concept of "you're only allowed to be sick for this specific number of days per year and anything over that you will be punished or will go in sick" is idiotic and unacceptable. It should be a case of if you're sick, you call in sick and your employer pays you. >
  
  Indeed. It makes no sense here how people have a fixed number of 'sick days' they may be allocated & if they are sick for longer, they either don't get paid for them or even lose their job. This way of thinking is extremely illogical and really warrants an explanation for those of us not living in the US (& even those of us who live here of course). >
  
  It's bad enough when the company you work for makes you sign a document stating they can fire you for no reason at all...I work in a right to work state and boy what an embarrassment of a state. (Az) >
  
  My kids had covid in December. One had no symptoms. I still did the adult thing and called to report to the school district. They told me when they could return. I followed the rules. The time off for covid combined with when they missed 1 day for dental work, and 2 more for stomach flu which the school sent them home for resulted in us getting a letter. A letter about their attendance and how if these absences continue we will be taken to truancy court. F all the way off. Either people are allowed to be sick. Or we’re not. I guess my kids are going to school positive next time because I am not going to jail or paying any fines. If we are supposed to take this seriously then employers and schools need to change their policies to reflect that. Middle school by us attendance policy is less absences than the cdc says for 1 case of covid. >
  
  What insane school are your kids attending where sick time is being counted towards truancy? Your kids can also medically withdraw from school at anytime with Dr. Reccommendation, or if they miss too much and its all sick days. At our school some of my students have missed 10+days of school and their parents arent hearing shit >
  
  Last year my kids had the stomach flu. I did too which is why I didn’t call. The principal and the secretary showed up on my doorstep the second day to make sure my kids were sick enough to not be in school. Another parent had her in laws murdered a month before the school year ended. One of her children was a witness. She missed 3 days of school due to trauma and obviously being questioned. She received a letter about holding her kids back. When she went to talk to the principal about it there was no, “I’m sorry for your loss” “how can we help your child emotionally” “is there anything we can do.” It was a it’s up to the teachers but you’ve missed over 10 days and I can’t help you. Absolutely ridiculous. One of mine is in her last year. I’ve put in to transfer our remaining child back to the school we were at before. I have never met a more power hungry administrator in my entire life. >
  
  Holy shit this is next level. I hope you'll manage to get your kids out of there. >
  
  They really don’t. My work wanted me back after 5 days despite me still having a fever and full symptoms. I lasted 5 minutes before I was told to go home and talked to about putting others at risk. You told me if I didn’t go in I would be fired. >
  
  
  You told me if I didn’t go in I would be fired.
  
  A friend of mine at a previous job was pulled into a meeting with HR and his boss. They told him that he was in trouble for working more than 30 hours a week the last two weeks because he wasn't supposed to have benefits, but working that many hours would require it 
  He replied that they had been the ones to set his schedule, not him.
  They ignored that and told him not to do it again.
  He pointed out that he was already scheduled for more than 30 hours the next two weeks.
  They replied that he wasn't to go over 30 hours.
  He asked if they were telling him not to come in the next day.
  They told him no, he was scheduled for that day, so he needed to be there.
  He pointed out that this would put him over 30 hours. They told him he couldn't do that.
  Again he asked "So I shouldn't come in?"
  He was told he had to be there, and he'd be punished if he didn't show up, but he would also be punished if he went over thirty hours.
  My best guess with this runaround is that they hoped to intimidate him into showing up but not clocking in. >
  
  I would ask for them to please put this in writing for me, so that I won't forget the policy, and be able to properly follow it. >
  
  That's where you follow up with an email and bcc your personal email. State you were told you were required to come in tomorrow, this will put you over 30 hours, if they don't want you to come in, please let you know in writing. >
  
  And then let the state labor board know. >
  
  Some states like FL have no state level DoL while others like MO have no teeth to do anything but provide documents that may be used as proof in your favor that can be used in small claims (another can of worms). In that case, they need to go to the federal DoL. >
  
  Good to know! >
  
  I hate to say it but this deep into the pandemic it's going to take 100,000's of deaths very quickly to even get an iota of the publics attention again. >
  
  I'm confused about why this is news... "People are not taking this seriously" was pretty clear at the start of this pandemic. >
  
  I took this shit seriously for 3 straight years and got 4 shots, im not sure what they expect me to do at this point. >
  
  Same here. Did everything I was told to the point of almost having a breakdown. Got all the shots, cleaned all the time, never traveled, stayed home. Got covid twice last year. I don't know how else to take it seriously. >
  
  I guess do it until someone tells you not to do it anymore.
  That's a slightly sarcastic response.
  But I feel your comment about nearing madness.
  I'm turning 40 later this year.  Depending on how you look at it we are into or nearing the fourth year of the pandemic.  That's a full 10% of my life and I feel pretty old.  Eventually we need to live and not remain isolated. Even the most reasonable and cautious person can't endure or willingly choose to do that until an indeterminate point in the distant future. >
  
  I know people who still mask and only socialize outdoors or with one person who have still got it. It seems outside of some genetic quirks no matter how careful you are you are still able to catch it. >
  
  I feel like some weirdo because I haven’t (knowingly) caught it yet. Some of my coworkers are on their third infection.
  I still mask on airplanes but otherwise I just now practice social distancing. I took it seriously for two years, but man, as a single 30-something, it sure fucked up dating during some prime years. I’m grateful to be healthy, but I still lost three years of social life. Fuck >
  
  I know how weird it feels too. I don't know if I do the tests wrong or something, but I was in close contact with my roommate when he caught it and I never got it. >
  
  Might as well write the same article every day for 3 years straight maybe it will work at some point. >
  
  Yep. It's already too late, people are "bored" of covid so good luck getting most folk to mask and social distance again. 
  Edit: I'm pro vax, fyi. quit yelling at me. >
  
  
  people are "bored" of covid
  
  Yes, because it's totally normal for millions of people to live in constant fear of getting sick for 2+ years straight with 0 hope of it getting any better.
  People learn to accept the new level of risk and go on with their lives. Can't hide in a hole your whole life. I wouldn't call that being "bored" of covid, it's more of tired of living in fear of something beyond our ability to contain further.
  A good chunk of this country alone is batshit insane thinking vaccines are the true threats and would rather inject bleach into themselves. What can you do about a section of the population basically intentionally ensuring covid never dies? We're all fucked and covid restrictions are not sustainable. Ensuring children are required to be inoculated against covid is about the best result we'll get going forward. It's already been made a stupid political game. >
  
  One of my coworkers, a week before she got the flu, was low-key bragging about how she hadn’t had any vaccines or boosters, because “why would she need a shot for something she hadn’t had?”.
  She missed a solid week-and-a-half of work due to the flu, and now, less than a week later, she’s got a sore throat/cough/sniffles and is wondering how she could be getting sick again?
  Like bruh, I can connect the dots for you but I can’t make you listen. >
  
  It's amazing...she literally has no idea what a vaccine is, or what "vaccine" even means. This is failure at a 6th grade level.
  Bet she knows the exact whereabouts of at least 5 celebrities though. >
  
  What are we supposed to do? I tried to be careful for 3 years. I can mask up. Vaccinate, stay inside... but I still have to go to work. I only get 5 days off if I get sick and then I have to come back still testing positive. No one is gonna help me. We are all on our fucking own. This is an institutional and governmental failing. Not a personal one. And I'm fucking sick of the narrative framing it that way, as if our blood hasn't been used to grease the cogs of the machine since the onset of the pandemic.