How Fast Will You Return to Dining After Getting Vaxed?

[kyphysics]

This is the one question I'm struggling with when it comes to post-vax activity. I'm fully vaxed and so are all of my loved ones.

I haven't returned to in-door dining yet, though. It still "feels weird" after abstaining for so long and I recognize that in those settings you have: a.) some people unvaxed; and b.) a relatively (to other settings) higher risk of virus transmission (with people removing masks to eat, touching table condiments, closed air circulation, etc.).

I know the risk of getting COVID and complications are super low for the vaxed. Yet, it still feels weird - maybe out of mental habit - to go to a place without my mask in-doors. I've gotten take-out before, but haven't dined in still. Wondering how fast others are returning to their pre-COVID routines since getting vaxed (esp. dining in-doors)?

Does anyone have fears or maybe just this weird "mental habit" that is hard to break (of avoiding crowds and always wearing a mask still)? I feel like I trained my brain to do certain things that are now hard to suddenly relax from.

 

[phinds]

It feels a bit weird at first, yeah, but you quickly get used to it. We wear masks on the way in and out. No one is wearing them at the tables. All service people do wear them.

Also, I'm in New York where masks are no longer required for vaxed folks so that makes it more likely that there will be liars who pretend to be vaxed and go maskless. Many stores still require them.

 

[mcastillo356]

Hi, kyphysics!
I got last saturday Janssen vaccine, but they told me to keep on wearing mask, maintain distance, avoid crowds...
I'm in Europe.

 

[JT Smith]

You're very much not alone. Lots of people are so used to wearing a mask and avoidance of crowds that it feels unnatural to go back to what used to be normal.

I'm fully vaccinated now and I find I'm very slowly relaxing around people in public but I still wear a mask and I'm still cautious. I read that there is a higher use of masks by vaccinated people than unvaccinated people. You can't know who is who. So I think I will continue to wear a mask in public for a while. Community spread has reduced but is still happening at a significant level. And vaccination is not a perfect shield.

But the other thing is that I am not just accustomed to wearing a mask. I actually like it. I wish everybody would wear mask all the time. Most people just aren't that attractive and a masked face is better looking. Just like clothes. Who wants to see everybody naked?

As for indoor dining, I've never been big on going to restaurants. I hate being waited on. I dislike the whole tipping thing. I prefer to buy fresh food and cook it myself. So I can live without indoor dining indefinitely. For me a better question would be when I'm willing to get on an airplane again. I don't know the answer but for sure not yet. Maybe later this year, maybe next year.

 

[pinball1970]

This is the one question I'm struggling with when it comes to post-vax activity. I'm fully vaxed and so are all of my loved ones.

I haven't returned to in-door dining yet, though. It still "feels weird" after abstaining for so long and I recognize that in those settings you have: a.) some people unvaxed; and b.) a relatively (to other settings) higher risk of virus transmission (with people removing masks to eat, touching table condiments, closed air circulation, etc.).

I know the risk of getting COVID and complications are super low for the vaxed. Yet, it still feels weird - maybe out of mental habit - to go to a place without my mask in-doors. I've gotten take-out before, but haven't dined in still. Wondering how fast others are returning to their pre-COVID routines since getting vaxed (esp. dining in-doors)?

Does anyone have fears or maybe just this weird "mental habit" that is hard to break (of avoiding crowds and always wearing a mask still)? I feel like I trained my brain to do certain things that are now hard to suddenly relax from.

I totally get this.

Mask social distance and hand washing still important, the vaccine alone is not enough. (See Chile https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-56731801)
We are at 57% first dose in the UK I am not relaxing till we are nearer 80%
When we reach point I still think I'll wear a mask in certain situations and carry one at least.
SARS was 2002ish? I saw a lot of Chinese people in Manchester wearing masks years after, young people.
I did not get it, now I do.

 

[StatGuy2000]

Worth noting for those outside of the US:

1. Canada is in the tail end of a 3rd wave of COVID-19 infections, which has forced many parts of the country (including my home province) under a strict lockdown. And thus no indoor dining options at all where I live. I believe indoor dining is available where my sister live (in eastern Quebec) however.

2. Canada currently has been able to vaccinate a little over 50% of the population on the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines, but there has been a deliberate strategy to postpone 2nd doses for up to 16 weeks to try and vaccinate as much people as possible with what used to be limited supply (which is now increasing substantially, due to steady shipments from Pfizer and catch-up supplies from Moderna).

3. I think it is unlikely that indoor dining will be an option for the duration of the summer here in my area of Ontario, Canada, until at least we have 75% of the people vaccinated in the 1st dose, and more people get the 2nd dose (which will likely happen between August and October of this year, based on the 16 week duration from first dose). Outdoor or patio dining is set to re-open in a few weeks in my area, from what I've heard.

4. I will not be partaking in indoor dining (even if it is available) until I receive my 2nd dose (currently scheduled for August).

 

[gmax137]

I have been eating in any restaurant that is open for dine-in since about a year ago when some started. Those small businesses and their employees need as much support as they can get.