Keep in mind the locations serve different populations 
my location is more mainstream.
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This piano playing event is on June 10th and itās a potluck. That they had planned over a month ago. Iām not comfortable with that even if everyone is vaccinated. Maybe Iāll ask if the food part will be outside? I could wear an N95 for the piano part, or I could just not go.
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Why is the potluck part a particular concern? Havenāt we determined fomite transfer is overwhelmingly (>99.9%) not happening?
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Hanging out with a bunch of strangers indoors unmasked is just not comfortable for me yet.
Iām not concerned about getting infected through food.
Oh so you meant food versus no food, not restaurant food versus potluck food. Gotcha.
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The food part is relevant because it means everyone will be unmasked.
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Iām also quite baffled at peopleās comfort eating together.
I know so many people who seem super cautious, like even masks at playgrounds (most people stopped outdoor masks ages ago). But then go to restaurants in groups.
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Thatās how my oldest brother is. Heās still shitty about my brother who works with the public a lot and his wife who is in medicine, but then he goes out to restaurants, and to restaurants with friends? Itās very weird to me. He wears masks on hikes even. Theyāre all fully vaccinated mind you. I think those are the times that baffle me- uneven application of risk assessment.
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Theyāre requiring that everyone be fully vaccinated but theyāre doing indoor food and optional masks. The hosts already said they wonāt be masked. Aside from my qualms, how do I politely say that I donāt trust people?? 
Itās on the honor system.
Iām just not going to go, there will be plenty of other opportunities!
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Our parents have all had their first shot of AZ! Iām so relieved.
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I would just say āThank you so much for the invite. Iām not comfortable with indoor dining yet. I hope yāall have a great time. Letās get together later this summer.ā
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Yeah I bowed out and wrote a personal note to the only person I know (the woman who invited me to the group and who is the host this time). Maybe this fall!
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We are driving on I80 thru Indiana and I just got an Emergency Alert that we could get off at the next exit and get a Free Covid 19 Vaccination, no appointment or proof of residency required!
I am charmed, which is not how I usually feel about Indiana.
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Thatās so cool.
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My ex still wants to take the children to Italy. Itās still at Level 4. He has a business that requires his presence in Italy in July. I asked him to convince me itās safe; I got back one of those NYT articles about how low the risk to kids isābut weāre not discussing whether they need to mask on the playground, weāre talking about a long-haul flight to a hotspot! He says āIām asking you to use reason/logic/evidence instead of fearā but isnāt sending me any information about Italy itself.
I already told him the kids could go if it was Level 3 (essential travel only) because this travel is work-related, which I thought was generous. Please note that I am not asking for legal adviceāI am already working with a lawyer and if this went to court, I might lose anyway as he has a right to make decisions for his parenting time, and our coparenting relationship has always been generally very good. Anyway, any perspectives on how to approach this problem from a scientific/public health perspective would be welcome.
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Sounds like heās the one not using reason/logic/evidence when the CDC is literally saying to avoid all travel of any kind to Italy??? How frustrating that heās flipping the burden of proof on you when heās the one flouting the scientific recommendation. I donāt even know what else you could send to convince him. Sounds like heās determined to go no matter what.
I guess if heās going to take them anyway, I really hope that the cases come down by July. So sorry youāre in this position.
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My workplace decided to enter everyone who has been fully vaccinated (and filled out their tracker) in a drawing for $1500, with multiple winners, to be held at the end of June
I appreciate that itās not ācome get vaccinated at our clinic and be enteredā and that all of us are eligible to win.
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Is he pro vax? If the kids arenāt vaccinated can you discuss waiting until they are vaccinated? Is there a quarantine on their return?
Itās all a sad mess. Iām sorry that your parenting arrangement has turned out like this
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A coworker is arranging a group lunch (that heās paying for) to celebrate completing the first part of a test campaign that Iām supporting. He made indoor reservations at a local restaurant though.
Iām leaning toward not going. From a purely rational standpoint, my risk is low. Iām fully vaccinated, and everybody in my family except my toddler is fully vaccinated. Nobody in my family is high risk. But - I donāt know if other people at this lunch are also fully vaccinated, and while breakthrough cases are rare, theyāre not nonexistent, and Iām concerned about giving it to my toddler.
Iām taking other, higher risks - weāre sending our toddler to daycare soon, though all the daycare adults are still masked. This lunch would be good for my career maybe (networking), but itās not like these folks are friends. Am I being overly paranoid?
I would definitely go if this lunch was outside. Iām not senior enough to raise that suggestion ā it would require somebody to call around to local places to find an outdoor venue big enough to seat that many people, and thereās not very many venues like that. Iām also not the one paying so thereās thatā¦
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Do you have enough of a feel for if there will be future events like this?
I started at a new company at the beginning of the year and a while ago there was an outdoor meet up/lunch thing that was voluntary but I had juuuust gotten my second shot so I wasnāt comfortable going yet even though it was outdoors. Like, my gut feel would have had me feeling low-key anxious the entire time and it being the first time I wouldāve met a bunch of people face to face instead of by screen didnāt help. I guess Iām saying I partly didnāt go because I knew I wouldnāt be able to act naturally.