The problem is these rules have been in place for so long that it's really wearing thin on everyone. And a lot of these measures haven't been proven to be effective. I think the public is catching onto that slowly but surely. I've long believed that businesses can make their own decisions on masks and vaccine passports, but I'm opposed to government mandates. I vote with my feet (and wallet). When I'm skiing at Killington, I'll usually buy lunch and eat inside, because they don't force me to wear a mask. I won't do that if I'm at Stratton which not only has mandatory masks, but requires reservations to eat in the cafeteria. Like no. Just no.
I'll ski straight through lunch and hit 7/11 on the way out.
I think Florida showed us that you can keep things fully open, despite a large wave that stresses hospitals, and be politically unscathed. I really feel for any small businesses in NY, particularly retail. They were looking forward to a good holiday season, and now that there's a mask mandate, I believe many people will go back to shopping online. Our economy hasn't seen the recovery that other states have, particularly in NYC, and our governor stuck a fork in it. Literally offices that had just reopened went back to remote.
To the point of being courteous and empathetic, it goes without saying that violence or verbal abuse are always inappropriate. However, I have zero respect for public health experts and elected officials who kept pushing these restrictions. It was a huge mistake to think that you could get all of society to put their lives on hold for this long, cut people off from social circles, put millions out of work, and there not be any collateral damage.
I can only speak for myself. I was happy to comply with all the restrictions before vaccines. I got the vaccine and booster at the first opportunity. I feel like I did the right thing. And now, 20 months later, we're back to wearing masks everywhere, despite being told all along that vaccines were the way back to normalcy. 80% of people took them, so it feels like we are being punished for those who didn't. To say that I'm angry would be an understatement. I feel like I was lied to, gaslit, and abused, for 20 months. This is not directed at the anti-vaxxers. I don't care what they do. If they get hospitalized for covid, it's their own damn fault. My anger is directed 100% at the state health department and the governor, because they're the ones who decided to punish 80% of the state. Once again, I can only speak for myself, but I have to believe that I'm not alone.
