So I live a liberal city with the typical liberal bs associated (super high taxes, super high crime, super high corruption, failed gun control. Etc...)

As of today, masks were made mandatory again for any and all public affiliated things (stores, restaurants, gyms, etc...). I actually took the pandemic seriously. I was a good boy and wore my mask religiously when this started, I wiped down my groceries, I was out of the gym for over a year, I got vaccinated, I worked from home, etc... We've "been allowed" to not wear masks for a few months now.

But I just don't understand this anymore. Today I went to the gym, which thank goodness isn't enforcing the mask bs. Literally not a single person or employee was masked, since it's a single, privately owned gym. I had to get this membership because my "big-box" gym was requiring masks even WHILE working out, per city orders.

On my walk home from the gym I stop in a coffee shop I regularly do. Upon entering without a mask, I was politely asked to put one on or they could provide one. The employee even apologized for it. I looked around and everyone sitting in the coffee shop was unmasked. He/she (employee was trans so legit not sure) noticed me looking around at the unmasked and said 'yeah, so if you're eating or drinking while seated you don't have to wear one, but if you're walking around or standing in line you do'.
I was dumbfounded. This is a coffee shop, and not a big one. There's 15 people seated without masks on, all sitting within several feet of each other and NEXT to the people standing in line that need to be masked.

Forget about the fact that even the CDC acknowledges that non N95 type masks don't work and have flip flopped on the mask stance multiple times.... what is the logical thought process here? Two people sharing the same small sqft of space and one is approved to be maskless and one isn't?

Then I went to the grocery store. Legit had an employee AT THE FRONT DOOR policing that people had masks on before entering. Yesterday, no mask is fine. No employee policing. Today, you're treated like a criminal if no mask.

Gonna waste gas intentionally to drive to suburbs where I can shop without a mask and not give this stupid city my sales tax dollars.

I was kinda on the fence before, but now I legit think the mask thing is a 100% power play. Less than 3 weeks ago the city held a concert with 300k people in attendance and no masks required. Dat tourism revenue. Now, I can't buy a coffee or get groceries without it.

/rant

When it comes to COVID, there is no logic, just made up bullchit so you can get reamed while the rich get richer and politicians boost their careers.

There's no logic with this chit. Imagine shutting down an entire country over 1 case of the kung flu.

Legit all other ailments, diseases, mental health concerns, quality of life have all gone to the back burner.

The world only cares about COVID now bruh.

We shifted timelines into this bizarre political realm where it's literally all people talk about besides Netflix

It’s because you’re ugly op

Notice nobody complains when hot girls are unmasked

no logic. Only power

Force people into compliance, obey what the government says, and to identify and discriminate/force out those who do not agree.

Cries in fellow WaBrah. Praying my gym doesn’t enforce masks come Monday.

Lmao.

My city doesn't require vacc card (yet), but several nicer restaurants are beginning to require non-refundable deposits for larger reservations... probably in anticipation of people bailing due to mask/vacc requirements.

It really sucks because it's not the establishment's fault (most of the time) but I'm just sick of it. It's like at the coffee shop and grocery store. The person was just following policy/compliance when they told me I need a mask. The girl policing masks at the front door of grocery store sure as sh!t didn't want to be doing that... knee jerk reaction is to be short/pissed at them, but I have to control myself because it's not their fault.
But just the same, the business is choosing to comply, rather than take a stand.

It's a trickle down of government overreach.
Business doesn't want to lose license or get fined or get bad publicity so it enforces masks. Employees of said business don't want to lose their job so they enforce masks. Customers don't want to be difficult and take it out on employees so they comply.

If someone could produce one iota of proof that cloth and surgical masks prevent or slow spread and transmission I would reconsider my stance here... but it's just not the case.

Jokes on you for ever believing in this OP. The vaccine you took is useless for anyone outside a risk group as well, you will need boosters for the rest of your life to keep your "privileges".

You raise a good point.

HBB's were some of the first in the city I would see going places unmasked.

lmao they reinstated the ****gy mask mandate in my area, too. I went to a restaurant and they had a sign telling us masks are mandatory. I put one on because I was with family and didn't want to cause a scene. Walk in, get seated, am allowed to take my mask off. Legit only had the mask on for like 10-15 seconds, total.
Then a couple ****gy zoomers come in without masks and the woman asks them if they have masks on. They told her no and instead of refusing to serve them she just told them "you're allowed to sit and eat but you just can't get up and walk around" then let them walk to their table and sit.

It's all about optics and giving off a particular perception. It's bull**** and worst of all it's not worth the effort of speaking up about it and making a scene. Just put the mask on for 10 seconds and get on with your life, I guess.

I took it seriously because there were still a lot of unknowns. I got vaccinated because it did and still does, offer protections over being non-vaccinated and I have a couple health issues that put me at higher risk for complications.

I take Covid seriously, in insofar as it's a highly survivable disease to most but has weird complicationsfor many and can be rather dangerous, but no longer take these illogical and non-functional prevention measures seriously. And it's not just me; I know a lot of people that were all about prevention, masks, vaccine, etc... and now are just over it and couldn't give a ****. I'm pretty right leaning and I even know lefties that are at the point of "fck this and fck the government using bunk science to hinder my life"