Travel in the 2021 COVID summer trough (BC/AB)

Smokey view as Yard Creek BC

It's been around a year since visiting the parent and in-laws in 2 provinces. Since then there's been a wave and mask mandates were implemented then recently removed. It was interesting to travel and how people are. We live in a small enough town that we never really had to mask up outside and we don't have public transit. We did mask when close contact with people and when outside.

That was then...

We were in the Vancouver area and met up with people we know are vaccinated. We went on the ferry and the workers and some of the passengers were wearing masks, mostly families We went to a couple restaurants and the servers were still wearing masks and I was most comfortable wearing a mask until seated so that's what I did. Even in my brother's shop, he was the only one not wearing a mask when helping customers. Fun anecdote, Fred and I were having coffee outside a Blendz and as I walked to our table a guy called out that he liked my mask 😀 It has seahorses on it, I said thanks.

Things were very different in Alberta...the pandemic is over. Servers aren't wearing masks and neither are patrons. We stayed in a Hilton and there was a shield at the front desk but that's it, luckily you can do everything through the app. The breakfast buffet was self-serve with people milling around, no masks. It was early and I just grabbed stuff and went. I was caught without my mask in an elevator and pretty well stayed in a corner as far as possible from others🙄

I would love to be more comfortable around other people indoors but the government really doesn't want to upset the vaccine-hesitant by restricting their access to venues (even though some of those same people were happy to lock up the elderly and anyone who didn't pretend the pandemic wasn't real🤷‍♀️) Fred is much more comfortable being around others when he forgets his mask. I hold my breath so mask up it is. I put it on before I get out of the car or before I enter a building if I'm walking. Fred asked when I thought I would be comfortable without a mask - a very good question because I do accept vaccines work to reduce my risk. Right now I would be fine working out without a mask because most of the people in my regular classes have gotten vaccinated (we exchanged stories) but I would wear one into class. In public overall? I think once kids can be vaccinated and there's 70% uptake for both shots I'll be happy to treat COVID like it has the same risk as the flu.