here in the Land of Oz health authorities are suggesting more mask wearing & boosters as "More than 3,700 Australians are in hospital with COVID-19, the most since February" but the Happy People are socialising & crowding & having a wonderful time - cos, in the words of the bloke who yelled at a mask wearer recently "Take that mask off, it's gone!"

New mask mandates all but ruled out around Australia as Covid cases surge Medical experts have criticised federal and state governments for “inconsistent” messaging around the looming winter virus wave, with new face mask rules all but ruled out nationwide ...

“We have a population believing, and governments delivering, that Covid is in the rear-view mirror, that we’re over the worst of it, that it’s time to do away with any of the measures and move on with life,” said infectious disease expert Prof Brendan Crabb, the CEO of the Burnet Institute.
“It’s always been wrong to do that, ever since Omicron arrived” ...

State and federal governments have escalated warnings that Covid case numbers are set to explode in coming weeks, as Australia battles fresh outbreaks of the BA.4 and BA.5 variants. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, this week warned cases were “going to continue to rise for some time yet”, with Covid hospital admissions currently at their highest level since February.
Australia recorded nearly 42,000 cases and 35 deaths in the last 24 hours. On Friday, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) revised down its official advice on reinfection periods from 12 weeks to 28 days, warning the new variants “are associated with increased immune escape and we are likely to see rates of reinfection rise”.
But despite the dire warnings, politicians have poured cold water on talk of reinstating mandates on masks, vaccinations or public health measures, even as they encourage people to voluntarily wear masks ...

sandra - always masked in public transport (compulsory but many ignore the notices) & often masked in indoors, sigh (recommended, I know I'm careless but I am trying to do better)