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May 14, 2021: Vaxxed And Waxed

26 Comments

I've got a week until my 2nd shot +2. What's one thing you can't wait to do again if all this were magically whisked away? I think travel and a concert would be pretty high on my list.

26 thoughts on “May 14, 2021: Vaxxed And Waxed”

  2. HJ, the title here could’ve been “Vaxxed and Unmasked” since, apparently, we’re just giving up on that whole thing now in light of CDC commentary.
    I don’t doubt the science on safety assessment for vaccinated people, but good luck getting everybody else to wear a mask when half the population stops doing so. Corporate leaders are probably face-palming themselves right about now.
    Oh, and my teen got sent home yesterday because a girl next to him in Art turned up positive. We’re still in this thing.

    1. I will not be listening to the CDC on this and I also plan to wear a mask if I'm feeling sick for the rest of my life.

      1. I have not had a cold in 16 months. It has been glorious. I want to keep it that way.

        3. That may not entirely be from masks. Colds, at least not the coronavirus variants, spread slightly differently than influenza.

          From Ars Technica talking about colds after COVID-19.

          Generally, different respiratory viruses use the same set of transmission modes (surfaces, respiratory droplets, etc.), but “how much each mode contributes to transmission of a specific virus remains unclear; therefore, the effectiveness of certain nonpharmaceutical interventions might differ between viruses,” the researchers write. In other words, masks and disinfection may be highly effective against flu viruses and SARS-CoV-2, but they may not be as effective against your standard snotty-kid germs.

      2. I'm taking mask off for now but will wear one in airport as I always seemed to have gotten sick after flying and definitely in crowded areas during the flu month season.

      3. Or because you have children under 12. Like I can really keep them wearing a mask inside if I'm no longer wearing a mask.

    2. Yes, my phone started blowing up last night and is still going this morning. Area restaurant owners want to know what to do. We get an announcement from the governor, but not enough details to develop a plan on 12 hours notice. Some businesses around here are not having staff wear masks. My joint is having staff wear masks and not requiring guests. Waiting on MDH to give us industry guidance. I do wish we would get more notice on these changes. I have a feeling today that I am the only restaurant in town that is still masked up for staff, which will pose a challenge in our current labor market.

      1. I've been in a "Leading Others" course for the last four weeks and it's opening my eyes (not that I wasn't intuitively aware and living it in my own work life) of the constant change management we've been enduring for a year, and how bloody hard it really is to lead through such circumstances. Everybody needs to give everybody a break as we try to wrap this thing up.
        I would say have a thoughtful mask exit plan and communicate it extensively to your staff. I think your reputation will gain you some slack in being the only masked joint in town, especially if there's an end in sight.
        The labor market...that's a whole other issue. We're as thin as I've ever seen, and just last week began bumping up our starting wages significantly.

        1. the constant change management we've been enduring for a year, and how bloody hard it really is to lead through such circumstances.

          Preach! Sincerely difficult to manage expectations (including my own!!!!1111112212111111!!!). I can only hope that the end of the pandemic will make a more just and thoughtful society. (i know I'm crazy).

      2. I've been in communications of one kind or another my entire career, and the best I can say is this announcement could have been handled much better. Yes, it's good news, but it puts business owners in a difficult position.

        1. This was my non-expert take. It seemed to have been sprung on people with little to no consultation or advance warning. A bit of an own-goal, IMHO.

          1. It would be like me announcing to a handful of staff one day that we are going to switch to yellow pants starting tomorrow morning, while giving no guidance on what type of pants, which "yellow" we want on the color spectrum, etc. Just let them figure it out and spread the word. My health inspector is a good friend of mine and he is pulling his hair out, because everyone is calling him for guidance and MDH is days away from offering any. On fishing opener weekend, which is a big weekend in outstate Minnesota.

      3. We decided that yes, our staff would continue to wear masks for now. A few employees were slightly disappointed, but soldiered on with no complaints. The rest of the team were like "no big deal". I would say over 50% of our guests came in with masks on. That, honestly, is not a big deal since they really just wear masks to their tables and take them off. I did have 2 regular guests ask me why I was still having guests wear masks. I told them that we are waiting on the Minnesota Department of Health to give clear guidance on this point. MDH will send something out "in a couple days" A few of us were talking about this during the dinner rush and an employee said " I have been wearing a mask for 9 months. Another few days or weeks is not going to be that bad". On a personal note, in my business, it is tough wearing a mask in my type of work for 9 to 13 hour days, especially in warmer weather. Some days I am in the kitchen for 12 hours and it is hot back there. Of course, it is nothing compared to those with multiple layers of protection in health care, and it is a small price to pay for the sake of public health. That being said, I absolutely can't wait to not have to wear one at work.

        1. Also, it appears that there are 4 restaurants in our area still continuing to have employees mask up. One is kind of a dive joint out of town a bit, and that surprised me. The owner there has become a good friend during these times, and she has followed the guidelines pretty closely during this past year. However, her customer base has been a tough compared to mine. I admire her courage and conviction to do the right thing, even when her guests fight her at every turn. Fortunately, she is the only food venue in her general area.

  3. Minor Details will not appear today, as I'm out of town. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be back tomorrow.

    1. I'm the lucky one in the +16 in Texas. Actually, we have been pretty lucky to have warned storms suddenly go around us or weaken just as they got to us. We haven't even had any hail. Of course, it sounds like there are more possiblity of storms this weekend.

  6. Mrs. Twayn is heading to the Saints game tonight with her siblings and I'm not invited so I'll be watching on TV. And next week I have an interview with the Twins for a guest services (usher) job. It doesn't pay much but it would get me into the ballpark for 25 games or so this year.

    1. I went to the Brewers-Cardinals game yesterday. Man it was great seeing live baseball again, even if the Brewers were sporting some serious ass-bats. (also, the pitching matchup was very, very good.)

  7. Well, WTF. I tune in to Fox 9+ on YTTV to watch the Saints and it tells me the game is not available for streaming over the internet. I didn't know it was going to an EXLUSIVELY broadcast TV thing. I guess I'll have to get an antenna or something.

    1. I guess they mean you can't watch it in a browser, it works fine on the TV. Saints lead the Cubs 4-2 after 7.

  8. Took the afternoon off and we left the lake to visit my parents again; on the drive to/from there, saw 7 turkeys, a beaver, couple deer, a groundhog, and large white birds out in the fields (swans?), plus the new hanging plant didn't take long to attract a hummingbird.

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