I am going to assume for purposes of this thread that Covid is real, that the U.S. government approved vaccines are effective and worthwhile, including boosters. And these are positions I believe and assert.

I also have been using facemasks since March 2020. What helped me go positive on masks was remembering that so many people I saw on airtravel in the early 2000s were wearing masks. Having not traveled in the Asia, I was aware just above dimly that there was an infectious virus known as SARS and that it was probably the reason so many people came from that region with face masks on. I barely gave it thought. But in early 2020 it occurred to me that I possibly should be grateful to those people, who took that kind of trouble. And that it was a small effort after all.

I have mainly been close to other people my age or older, who are very careful with whom they come into contact. All of us wore masks and got vaccine injections. None of us have had Covid, or for that matter, the flu.

Now that the Omicron variant is coming round to all states, Alaska included, I'm thinking of upping us to N95 masks. And if that is worth doing, it's worth doing sooner rather than later.

There is another approach, which I am NOT taking but it occurs to me that it might be inevitable. That is that the recent strain is so infective and relatively mild that we might as well get it and get over it. That is a thought I am not following up on, but I'm sure if I have it plenty of others are having it, too.

One reason not to go that way is that we are still learning about Covid and its variants. Having gone the vaccine way, and not being sick, I will continue in that course and trust that there are medical experts who will line us out with real facts as we learn them.

I also have a history with masks having gone into work environments with hazards of dangerous gas releases. We learned to be aware of masks that would seal our breathing parts and keep 'em oxygenated.