Weary U.S. businesses confront new round of mask mandates

The vaccinated are just as capable of spreading the virus to one another if not more so.

I don't get the rules !!

"The vaccinated are just as capable of spreading the virus to one another if not more so"

Because the vaccinated, even in the rare cases they get sick, won't get sick enough to go to a hospital. We aren't wearing a mask to protect ourselves as much as we're masking up to protect those who can't or WON'T get the vaccine, and believe that mask mandates "violate their rights".

Fortunately I don't live in the US so I can just laugh at this stupidity.

The whole point of getting vaccinated is to control the disease and be able to get back to normal life. It is therefore outrageous to still be asked to wear a mask if you are vaccinated. And yes, it's true that you could still be a carrier of the disease and could spread it, but if you do not get seriously ill from it then so what? And if you say that others might get ill, then the answer is for them to get vaccinated. And if they don't then that's their problem.

In Britain there is no longer a requirement to wear a mask, and infections have fallen, so it is clear that the vaccinations have broken the spread and masks are not needed anymore.

Evidence on efficacy of masks is mixed at best. And recent evidence indicates they may not be much use. Look at the UK. Sweden. Lockdowns and masks don't appear to have had a massive effect on the spread or severity of the virus. Masks are just an easy way for authorities to show that they are "doing something".

my guess is that this whole saga has a way to run yet.

. It is therefore outrageous to still be asked to wear a mask

‘Outrageous’? Some people are awfully precious.

You are being asked to wear a mask. That’s all.

Typical Republicans. Won't get the vaccine, won't wear a mask, but blames the Government when they get sick.

I don't get how small Republican brains are. Wearing a mask is simple science - you don't want virus in your mouth and nose to spread to other people. How is that about freedom?

Businesses large and small, from McDonald’s and Home Depot to local yoga studios, are reinstituting mask mandates as U.S. coronavirus cases rise. Bars, gyms and restaurants across the country are requiring vaccines to get inside.

Remember when Repubs were the champions of business...when they said business owners should be allowed to run their enterprises like they want - without government interference?

They've sure gone 180 on that....now we have Abbott and Costello, i mean Abbott and DeSantis enacting laws prohibiting businesses from requiring masks if they want to...

Big government Repub leaders, telling small business owners what they can and can't do...

One more core Repub value tossed overboard as the party goes from being a conservative one to a MAGA-cult...

This is what happens when you don't follow the rules of nature and science. There are consequences.

The positive and negative consequences of wearing a mask almost full time are as yet not fully known. Sure, it may not be a big deal to some people but it is irksome and annoying, especially as many of the rules surrounding masks make little sense.

I think many objectors point is that it should be their decision based on risks etc rather than being forced in often ridiculous circumstances and with little clear logic being applied.

That includes people outside the US, so the shrill R vs D stuff does not apply.

Who wrote this ridiculous story? The media have really gone off the cliff with this one. Living in Los Angeles, maybe 2 percent of businesses have any type of sign outside. The vast majority of people do as they please, wherever they please and are respectful of others. Most people wear masks inside an establishment and very few complain about it. Life is very close to the way it was before Covid. Do not believe the media, they are lying to you.

the shrill R vs D stuff does not apply.

Yeah, it's really more of a Left vs. Right issue, as there are many, many right-wing anti-maskers around the world. America just happens to contain more of them per-capita than most nations.

It is weird looking at an US article and a Japan article in JT.

In US article, expats will badmouth US policies.

But in Japan article, expats want the US policies imposed on Japan.

The legal liability of exposing somebody to Covid ,is headed to a courtroom in the future,their is no legal immunity for exposing someone to Covid

It is weird looking at an US article and a Japan article in JT.

In US article, expats will badmouth US policies.

But in Japan article, expats want the US policies imposed on Japan.

JT doesn't have a monolithic set of posters. You are describing two different groups of posters, with almost no mutual membership between the groups.

Some folk cannot be vaccinated even if they want to be. They rely on masks (one layer of protection) and upon those around them wearing masks (a second layer of protection). They are a useful barrier to block infected spittle and breath.

The UK may have had fewer deaths with a mask mandate, but it only ever had a limited one. Today most shops and transportation still require it. I've had both jabs but still wear one whenever I step outside the door. I also wear one when I'm gardening. They are useful against pollen and against the more polluted air where I live, so it is nice to be able to wear one without looking odd. I got used to wearing them in Japan whilst sightseeing, on busy trains and sometimes on the plane for 12 hours. I was in Japan when the pandemic was spreading and wore one whenever I went out. Whilst I was there, mask use rose from about 20% up to over 60%. It's not a big deal if you have a comfortable one.

When you read the various comments on the issue, substitute 'condom' for 'mask' and consider the merits of what is being said. We wear both for the same reasons.

I don't understand why they decided to go masks free after vaccines. We knew that masks would be necessary for a while even with vaccines. Social distancing as much as possible, masks, washing and disinfecting hands, not going to crowded places as much as possible and then the vaccines. All together to reduce numbers and eventually win this battle.

But nope. Can't have this sign of "oppression and enemy to freedom" masks.

That angered Backer, who doesn’t want a repeat of a COVID-19 outbreak that sickened him and others at his workplace last year.

Mr. Backer, if you caught it, you now have natural immunities to getting it again. No need to get angry as a repeat outbreak will pass you by.

Evidence on efficacy of masks is mixed at best. And recent evidence indicates they may not be much use. 

I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but there are plenty of studies that disagree. For example: "Model experiments and case reports suggest that masks covering the mouth and nose afford considerable protection against transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other airborne diseases by reducing release of and exposure to potentially infectious droplets; in addition, infections that do occur take a milder course."

Hemmer, C. J., Hufert, F., Siewert, S., & Reisinger, E. (2021). Protection From COVID-19. Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 118(5), 59–65. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0119