D&D and the rising pandemic

[Dannyalcatraz]

Out of curiosity, what are people's risk tolerances like these days?

Vaxxed & boosted. I wear commercial, multi-layer cloth masks so my folks can have their pick of the KN95 & N95 masks we have.

I still intend to make some of my own cloth masks based on a design that uses an insert that (unofficially) tested as being close to KN95 mask in filtration. (Note: that “intent” has lasted several months now...)

We go to church, but attend our church’s 5PM Sat. service which has the smallest attendance and njo mass on its heels, so there’s no crowd of people trying to get in as we leave. We also place ourselves in a portion of the church virtua devoid of other attendees. Typically, the only people within 25’ of us are wayward kids, ushers, and event, the Eucharistic ministers.

I do eat in restaurants, but tend to choose off-peak hours. Generally speaking, I may have only dined in fewer than a handful of restaurantsover 50% capacity in the past 18 months.

 

[Thomas Shey]

So, a couple of weeks ago the US government opened a program in which every mailing address could get four free at-home covid tests. I wanted to report that mine arrived today - same brand as I had purchased at Walgreens. So folks can know the program actually works...

Yeah, I been waiting on mine. So far no go, but I know there's some priority issues, though.

 

[Cadence]

Out of curiosity, what are people's risk tolerances like these days?

Wife and I are double vaxxed and boosted. 12yo is double vaxxed with boost a month away.

Masking around others except for rare family gatherings (four a year, which we've approached trepidatiously) and for my son at karate or his lunch at school. He just went back to in person for the first time in nearly two years with the change of the semesters.

Eating out if the restaurant is almost empty. Shopping pretty like usual. Work at the university is all masked while in class or the hallways, but it's making it's rounds.

Optimistic that in a few weeks we'll be much closer to normal as far as other things.

Once littler kids can get the shot it will be hard to not have my only concern about it being to not overcrowd the hospitals, and to heck with those who choose not to take precautions if they want to catch it (but that forgets those who can't for various reasons or for whom they don't work well).

 

[GreyLord]

I have stopped attending any religious services for the past month and a half.

I try to go to the store either very early in the morning, or very late at night when there are not huge crowds.

Other than that, I have not gone out much.

 

[Cadence]

First positive test in the household, other two took tests this AM (including one who tested negative yesterday).

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Out of curiosity, what are people's risk tolerances like these days?

Since Omicron we're back to no indoor dining, N95 masks, 1 weekly shopping trip to groceries. I go to my office 1-2 days/week, my wife to gym 3 days/week (both require full vaccination). We're both boosted, in our 50s, with no other major risk factors.

I'd probably be a bit less cautious if it weren't for my oldest friend winding up in the hospital for 6 days with Omicron (though he had more risk factors than me).

Back in February 2020, I had finished my last job assignment just as the pandemic was about to kick in. As we learned more about it, my wife and I decided that it was too big a risk to me since I have a history of respiratory problems that have put me in the hospital on more than one occasion. But we have been extremely fortunate to be in a position where she works for a small company that has opted to work from home since this started, and that our finances are easily manageable with a smaller income. So we decided that there was no need for me to go back into the workforce while the world continues to spiral out of control.

So we basically locked ourselves away at home and didn't see anyone for over a year, not even family. We maintained control of our environment. We purchased everything online and had it delivered to our patio, disinfecting anything they touched after they left. When the vaccines finally rolled out, we both got our 2-shots, and eventually got the booster, too.

Last summer, we began heading out more. Always masked, always mindful of our surroundings and other people. We started doing our own shopping again, and I began checking out my favorite non-essential stores (i.e. games and book stores). I desperately wanted to get back to face-to-face gaming, but I didn't feel that the stores were enforcing health measures enough. So I advertised on the FB page for responsible people who had the sense and enough care to create a safer environment. I got a small group that was interested in trying Starfinder and was able to host in their home. We had a good run for a few weeks before things fell apart (including my computer which lost a TON of work that I had done during the pandemic--it was brutal). And then Omicron broke out.

So my wife and I are back to isolation. No visitors. No unnecessary trips. Everything delivered or curbside pick up. And we upgraded our masks to N95. (I think we bought like 400+ but we also gave some to our family and friends.) I wish things were different, that we didn't need to keep living like this. But we can, and we will. We intend to be here after all of this.

 

[briggart]

Out of curiosity, what are people's risk tolerances like these days?

Since Omicron we're back to no indoor dining, N95 masks, 1 weekly shopping trip to groceries. I go to my office 1-2 days/week, my wife to gym 3 days/week (both require full vaccination). We're both boosted, in our 50s, with no other major risk factors.

I'd probably be a bit less cautious if it weren't for my oldest friend winding up in the hospital for 6 days with Omicron (though he had more risk factors than me).

Over the last 6 months, went to the office at least 1-2/week for in-person teaching. I meet regularly with my parents, aunt and cousins (we all live in the same building, we're basically one extended household). Occasionally we have visitors from outside family. I went out for dinner/drinks once, sometime twice a month. Less so now, since the post Christmas surge, but since mid January drinking/eating out is allowed only with proof of at least double vaccination. Watched Dune in theaters. We are all 3+ vaxed, same for colleagues, friends and family we hang out with. FFP2 masks when we go out of the house.

Starting today, entrance to most places of business (with obvious exceptions like food stores, pharmacies,...) is restricted to people with at least the basic green pass (negative test in the previous 48 hours). People over 50 have 15 days to start their vaccination process or they will be placed on unpaid leave.

 

[Maxperson]

I am happy to report that I have recovered from my battle with covid and can get back to running my comic and game store. One of my top employees didn't catch it was able to do all the heavy lifting while I was out. The employee that gave it to me is still out, but she's double-vaxxed so she should be okay. I missed getting my booster because my appointment was right in the middle of it (and so did my wife, in case she was a carrier, though she and our two teenagers never came down with anything, which is good.)

I really feel for all the shops of my type (and any other small business) that are being killed by this. I spent 27 of the 28 years I've been in business worrying about tomorrow, but the pandemic has made me realize that I built a strong foundation. My business will ride this out for sure, I have no doubt.

I'm very happy that you have recovered, and also that you were fortunate enough to have someone capable of picking up the slack at your store. At least you didn't have to worry about the fate of your store while also fighting the Covid.

 

[Mirtek]

Out of curiosity, what are people's risk tolerances like these days?

No real changes honestly. Live with whatever is required in public and continue to do what we please in private (even if beyond official covid rules and regulations).

Office 5 days a week. Shopping 3-4 times a week (have so much stores along the way to work, I've just never been a "one big haul once a week" guy). Eating out whenever I feel like (indoor due to bad winter weather) and have been to the cinema twice (due to only 2 movies being interesting enough). Thus saturday one of my close friends turns 40 and I will go in person to congratulate. Due to public restrictions it won't be a fancy party at a rented location, but I expect 15-20 people at his home.

I am one of the few people going to office every day. I need 8-10 minutes from home to office and I found that if I have to work, I'd rather do it in the office than at home. I just don't want to make proper room and plugging the work laptop in on my gaming corner just didn't feel right to me.

Today Denmark has officially ended all covid related restrictions, despite having an incidence of 5.2k. No masks, no tests, no distancing or contact tracking or capacity limits for events whatsoever. So I am obviously far from being the boldest, that goes to the Danish.

Having watched the full stadions during the playoffs and the clips from fans celebrating scores in tightly packed spportbars, there aren't many restrictions in the US either, are there?

Since the CDC announced that fabric masks weren't doing it for Omicron, we have switched to KN95s,

The German RKI announced the same for Delta over a year ago. Since then community masks are no longer allowed when masking is required. Only medical, KN95 or FFP2.

In one sweep pulled the rug under those business who converted to produce community masks to at least have some business during the pandemic. Well, the end of that business would have happened sooner or later anyway.

 

[Aeson]

A friend's views have changed about covid as times has passed. Last night she said;

We shouldn't use masks. We should get sick, and it'll go away. When we were kids, if little Johnny down the street was sick, we would all go to his house and we'd all get sick, and it's over.

I'm glad I didn't know her when we were kids. She's not the first I've heard this stuff from, though. It all seems contrary to what makes better sense. Avoidance, starve the virus of a host, and kill it. This is what is best in life.