Biden Tweet

[BonnieDundee]

Folks, if you’re fully vaccinated — you no longer need to wear a mask.

If you’re not vaccinated yet — go to t.co/4MYpWqXVVo to find a shot, and mask up until you’re fully vaccinated. t.co/qcyG2WyCG2

I hope the UK doesn't go the same way

Why not? Being vaccinated reduces your risk of both asymptomatic and symptomatic infection. That’s now been well established. The same is true to an extent if you’ve previously recovered from covid

There’s no point urging people to get vaccinated and then telling them the vaccine has no personal benefit to them and they need to carry on just like before. It may be socially palatable to say that, but it’s illogical.

Take up of vaccines is lower in the US. Masks are unpopular. I wonder if he’s gone down this route to encourage more to get the vaccine..., whilst knowing many who are responsible will still wear masks.

It looks like the Covidworld saga will take an unexpected and entirely avoidable dark twist with people thinking it’s safe to not wear a face mask to protect yourself and others. Madness.

In one city Florida 1/3 are vaccinated 25% are children not legible yet and the rest have refused. There are hard core anti vaccine towns ( American source)

Biden wanted 90% vaccinated for herd immunity. And he wants the programme complete by the 4th of July..... So they can all mix for independence day !!

Fool. I don't think we can open up UK- US travel for holidays with that.
I was told Florida has been one if the worst areas to follow restrictions/ get vaccinated. In fact other Americans calk it Flori-duh.

And yet, Florida, which has been open since last year with few, and now no , restrictions is doing no worse or even better than many lockdown states. It's not even in the top 20 in deaths per capita for the US.

@Lucidas

Why not? Being vaccinated reduces your risk of both asymptomatic and symptomatic infection. That’s now been well established. The same is true to an extent if you’ve previously recovered from covid

There’s no point urging people to get vaccinated and then telling them the vaccine has no personal benefit to them and they need to carry on just like before. It may be socially palatable to say that, but it’s illogical.

You don't really wear masks to protect you, you wear them to protect everyone else from you. I wish the government had done more to communicate this better!!!

Just to add that any individual shop, restaurant etc can set their own mask policy.

My hairdresser for example sent out an email saying they were still requiring masks to protect unvaccinated people.

It is also worth noting that currently in my state mask compliance is 95%. Everyone older than two wears one, including all day at school and nursery.

I haven't seen a single person without one in the supermarket for months and months.
All gyms and similar require them while exercising.
People wear them routinely in the streets, even cycling.

So not wearing them will actually require a little encouragement for some people or at least a clear sign it is ok.

Also 12 plus can now get vaccinated and there is sufficient vaccine available.

It is a different situation to the UK.

In the US the vaccine is available to everyone over the age of 12 and there's plenty of vaccine available.I don't know anyone who isn't vaccinated, including my 20-something children. It's past time to ditch the masks.

My 12 year olds are getting vaccinated at school tomorrow.
DH and I are vaccinated, one more week and we are fully vaccinated.

@FromEden

And yet, Florida, which has been open since last year with few, and now no , restrictions is doing no worse or even better than many lockdown states. It's not even in the top 20 in deaths per capita for the US.

What’s the average temperature in Florida? Can’t you basically sit outside all year round? Have windows open? Etc.

Of course they will have lower rates.

That’s a nice change from Biden. So far he seemed to be so pro mask he’d wear two over and up every orifice

America is full of mad anti-vaxxers who think masks are muzzles. I expect they think incentivising people to get vaccinated has a greater impact in the long term than mask wearing.

What about people who are unable to get vaccinated or who are worried about the side efects? They are the underclass who don't matter any more.

Anyway, good luck to him in implementing that in The Land of The Free

It’s disgraceful. The vaccine should be a choice. The more forced and coerced some people feel to have it the more strongly they will resist. A government is there to advise not to dictate. Fine, give us all the information about why it’s a good idea but ultimately it’s personal choice and to take that away through the use of segregation and threat is wrong.

@BonnieDundee

What about people who are unable to get vaccinated or who are worried about the side efects? They are the underclass who don't matter any more.

Anyway, good luck to him in implementing that in The Land of The Free

People who are unable to be vaccinated will need to keep socially distancing and wearing masks. Those who chose not to, will either have to do the same, or take their chances. They cannot ask the rest of the population to continue to protect them from their own choices.

It's the endless mixed messages. If Covid can actually be stopped by mask wearing, then why did we spend billions on vaccines?

And if vaccines are so crucial, why do we still need masks?

Which is it? And by what measure will we know they've worked?

Exactly @MorrisZapp, and do vaccines stop transmission or not? This dictate seems to suggest that it does. Well in that case, why are there still so many restrictions in place in the U.K. and why the need to have a ton of expensive pcr tests if attempting to have a foreign holiday? The uk governments are telling us it’s because vaccinated people can still transmit the virus - well which is it?

I loathe masks and am about to leave to get my jab, so my initial thought was (selfishly) positive. Then I remembered that prior to the latest announcement on AZ I was planning to refuse the vaccine unless it was Pfizer or moderna...I strongly believe in bodily autonomy and thoroughly dislike any form of coercion when it comes to this vaccine. I doubt I would have had AZ in order to avoid wearing a mask though, so there is still a choice I guess.

As an aside, regarding my initial reaction, I feel like I am definitely getting a bit more selfish in my views on this whole situation . I don’t feel great about that, but I suspect it’s happening to many people.

@Lostinacloud From what I understand it's not a 100% either / or. Wearing masks reduces the risk of transmission. Having the vaccine also reduces (but does not eliminate) the risk of transmission. So it's about weighing up how much risk a government, society, or individual, is happy to live with. That's why there are different rules about masks and vaccines in different countries; the governments have chosen different balances of risks that they are happy to apply to the population.

To be honest, I see fewer and fewer people wearing masks now (regular commuter throughout), so it doesn't seem to matter what the UK govt advises, people can still do their own thing if they want to. As indeed they are doing in the US.

Do they have low take up rates? It sounds like something to increase take up. I read that in Ohio they were giving away 1 million dollars each to 5 randomly selected people who get vaccinated by a deadline, plus full college scholarships for randomly selected teens who get the vaccine. The money is coming from the covid relief fund and it seems a very odd use for it unless take up is really low and they’re desperate to get people through the doors.

Of course it’s possible take up is fine and they are wasting relief money that could be much better spent elsewhere.

And then there's one state offering four prizes of a million dollars to people who get jabbed, at random. Interesting idea. Not coercion, exactly, but I imagine some people might feel like it is, if they aren't eligible for the draw - especially if it's their tax dollars being used to pay for it. On the other hand, if those same tax dollars were spent on advertising or something that didn't have as much of an effect in the end, would they think that was better?

cross post!

@MorrisZapp

It's the endless mixed messages. If Covid can actually be stopped by mask wearing, then why did we spend billions on vaccines?

And if vaccines are so crucial, why do we still need masks?

Which is it? And by what measure will we know they've worked?

Well becayse people want to spend time together without wearing masks. Be it at the pub, in the home, where ever. And we have all seen images of folks who don’t wear them right, plus many can’t or won’t wear them,

If Florida has lower rates because it's warmer, then why did Italy and Spain have such an absolute shocker last year? And why is India doing so terribly just now?

My first instinct was that it's unfair when not everyone is vaccinated yet but I realise I'm looking at that from an UK and EU perspective - it's different in the US when vaccinations have been available for all adults for weeks now. All my US based friends in their 30s and 40s are already fully vaccinated and had their first dose ages ago, they didn't have to wait like we are here in the UK.

Research does seem to suggest two fully vaccinated people are very unlikely to pass on covid to each other, even more so when rates are generally low.

I guess I don't like the tone of the new message though as it's very much about ripping your mask off and "freedom". It may well make sense to wear masks on public transport or situations like that every winter for the foreseeable future.