Covid Mask Mandate for Transportation

[jebr]

Moderator note: After further discussion, the moderation team has opened a new thread for the practical aspects of the Amtrak mask mandate (such as implementation and on board enforcement) here. This thread can and should be used for broader discussions regarding Amtrak's mask mandate.

 

[me_little_me]

People have been doing that already without my asking them to and it irks me because they forget that their mask is protecting me as much as it’s protecting them.

Actually more.

 

[LookingGlassTie]

The next time that I might be taking Amtrak anywhere will next January or February. Hopefully the mask policy will be rescinded (or at least lightened) by then.

 

[Cal]

The next time that I might be taking Amtrak anywhere will next January or February. Hopefully the mask policy will be rescinded (or at least lightened) by then.

How would you want them to lighten it?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The next time that I might be taking Amtrak anywhere will next January or February. Hopefully the mask policy will be rescinded (or at least lightened) by then.

If enough people are vaccinated and new infections are low enough the masks can go away tomorrow.

 

[hlcteacher]

if....

 

[neroden]

Expecting approval for 12-15 year-olds any day now. I've got a 12-year-old so this is what I've been anxiously awaiting. Hopefully the under 12 kids by the end of the year...

Reading between the lines, Pfizer approval by the FDA for 12-15 year olds will be Tuesday. This is because the CDC meeting to decide on whether to recommend the vaccine for 12-15 year olds is scheduled for Wednesday. (They will recommend it.) Expect most sites which have Pfizer to open up appointment scheduling (and possibly walk-ins?) for 12-15 year olds on Thursday, though some might act as early as Tuesday.

That's my guess on the timing.

 

[Exvalley]

We are at a point in the United States where anyone over the age of 16 can get vaccinated. Soon children 12 years of age and older will be able to get vaccinated.

In light of that, I believe that the mask mandates need to go away once everyone 12 and up has had a sufficient opportunity to be fully vaccinated (two weeks after their last dose). Sometime this summer would make sense. At a certain point, I shouldn't have to wear my mask to protect you if you aren't willing to protect yourself by getting vaccinated.

 

[tricia]

We are at a point in the United States where anyone over the age of 16 can get vaccinated. Soon children 12 years of age and older will be able to get vaccinated.

In light of that, I believe that the mask mandates need to go away once everyone 12 and up has had a sufficient opportunity to be fully vaccinated (two weeks after their last dose). Sometime this summer would make sense. At a certain point, I shouldn't have to wear my mask to protect you if you aren't willing to protect yourself by getting vaccinated.

I wish this were unequivocally so, however....

It's still not clear whether, and in what numbers, those of us who've been vaccinated can harbor infections without symptoms, and be contagious to others. It looks increasingly like this is a small risk, but the body of experience with these vaccines is still too recent to be conclusive about it.

Second (and IMHO more significant): With so many selfish louts refusing to be vaccinated, the US is still a giant petri dish breeding Covid variants that our vaccines might turn out not to be so effective against.

I might be missing other reasons for continuing to wear masks, at least indoors in public spaces. But AFAIC, these are reason enough at this point to keep me doing so.

 

[Anderson]

I wish this were unequivocally so, however....

It's still not clear whether, and in what numbers, those of us who've been vaccinated can harbor infections without symptoms, and be contagious to others. It looks increasingly like this is a small risk, but the body of experience with these vaccines is still too recent to be conclusive about it.

Second (and IMHO more significant): With so many selfish louts refusing to be vaccinated, the US is still a giant petri dish breeding Covid variants that our vaccines might turn out not to be so effective against.

I might be missing other reasons for continuing to wear masks, at least indoors in public spaces. But AFAIC, these are reason enough at this point to keep me doing so.

I'm going to be ice cold here, but if someone has refused to get vaccinated and they get this thing and die, I have very little sympathy at this stage and increasingly I resent being asked to inconvenience myself for their sake (given the negligible risks to folks who have been vaccinated in general). It's not where it was back in, say, January where there were cases of (for example) a first responder preferring not to get a shot because they'd rather let someone who was medically fragile go first. With an asterisk to folks who can't get a shot, at this point if you're an adult and you're not in the pipeline to get your shots, you've made a choice and while I don't intend to beat folks up too much over it (even if I think a lot of them are idiots), I don't care to inconvenience myself for them either.

 

[Deni]

Reading between the lines, Pfizer approval by the FDA for 12-15 year olds will be Tuesday. This is because the CDC meeting to decide on whether to recommend the vaccine for 12-15 year olds is scheduled for Wednesday. (They will recommend it.) Expect most sites which have Pfizer to open up appointment scheduling (and possibly walk-ins?) for 12-15 year olds on Thursday, though some might act as early as Tuesday.

That's my guess on the timing.

FDA just announced the approval.

 

[Ryan]

I'm going to be ice cold here, but if someone has refused to get vaccinated and they get this thing and die,

If that same person is carrying a variant for which your vaccine is less effective, you may be singing a different tune.

Wearing the damn mask is the smallest of inconveniences. Just wear it when you're in close quarters with strangers and quit bitching.

 

[Anderson]

If that same person is carrying a variant for which your vaccine is less effective, you may be singing a different tune.

I (quite sincerely) think I actually crossed the line on caring about that sometime last summer.

 

[me_little_me]

We are at a point in the United States where anyone over the age of 16 can get vaccinated. Soon children 12 years of age and older will be able to get vaccinated.

In light of that, I believe that the mask mandates need to go away once everyone 12 and up has had a sufficient opportunity to be fully vaccinated (two weeks after their last dose). Sometime this summer would make sense. At a certain point, I shouldn't have to wear my mask to protect you if you aren't willing to protect yourself by getting vaccinated.

And what about children under 12? Since there is a possibility that vaccinated people can get and spread the disease - and of course with the anti-vaxxers around, they can spread it to you even though it might be a mild or symptomless case, why would you want to endanger my grandchildren?

 

[Ryan]

I (quite sincerely) think I actually crossed the line on caring about that sometime last summer.

And that's why we need mask mandates.

 

[Exvalley]

And what about children under 12? Since there is a possibility that vaccinated people can get and spread the disease - and of course with the anti-vaxxers around, they can spread it to you even though it might be a mild or symptomless case, why would you want to endanger my grandchildren?

The seasonal flu is much more deadly to children under 12. Why were you endangering them all of these years?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The seasonal flu is much more deadly to children under 12. Why were you endangering them all of these years?

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/fl...xt=The risk of complications for,and COVID-19.

The risk of complications for healthy children is higher for flu compared to COVID-19. However, infants and children with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for both flu and COVID-19.

Young children are at higher risk of severe illness from flu.

School-aged children infected with COVID-19 are at higher risk of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a rare but severe complication of COVID-19.

I would prefer not to risk any children getting COVID (or the flu). YOU don't know which kids are at risk.

 

[Exvalley]

I’m a huge proponent of masks and wear my mask religiously during this pandemic. However, I also understand that life comes with risks and at a certain point government does not have sufficient justification to compel mask wearing. We are approaching that point, appeals to emotion aside.

 

[Ryan]

We are approaching that point

I'm glad that we agree that we are not yet at that point. By September we'll have a lot more information on the efficacy against newer variants to make a decision on if that's the right time or not. Hopefully the good track record we're seeing now isn't screwed up by those that continue to do everything they can to keep the virus in circulation long enough to allow it to mutate away from the vaccine over the summer.

 

[CTANut]

I think the Amtrak mask order will partially go away soon.
https://www.foxnews.com/health/cdc-fully-vaccinated-people-no-masks-indoors

 

[JoeBas]

I doubt it. Read past the headline.

 

[Ryan]

Indeed.

Fully vaccinated individuals are still advised to wear masks while in crowded indoor settings such as while on public transportation and in hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.

 

[dlagrua]

Our last trip was in August 2020 to Whitefish on the EB. For common courtesy we did wear our masks when moving about the train but the train was loaded with Amish travelers few of whom had them pulled up, and many were mask free. While masks are good protection against bacteria there is evidence to suggest that they offer minimal protection against virus microbes that measure millionths of an inch. It is what it is, and by 2022 I believe that masks will be a thing of the past.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

@SarahZ , do you want to set diagrua straight again about masks and viruses.

 

[Cal]

Our last trip was in August 2020 to Whitefish on the EB. For common courtesy we did wear our masks when moving about the train but the train was loaded with Amish travelers few of whom had them pulled up, and many were mask free. While masks are good protection against bacteria there is evidence to suggest that they offer minimal protection against virus microbes that measure millionths of an inch. It is what it is, and by 2022 I believe that masks will be a thing of the past.

When I was on the Chief, Amish were on board the entire way. They all wore masks.