Now is not the right time to drop all mask mandates.

Until updated vaccines are available, until all children have a chance to be vaccinated and until antiviral treatments are plentiful, we should make the common spaces we share as safe as possible.  We need ‘SMART’ Masking.

Shopping/groceries/workplaces 
Medical settings 
Academic/schools 
Religious gatherings 
Transit/Uber/Air travel

With case counts low and decreased community prevalence, it makes sense to relax masking requirements in some settings.  Those going to restaurants, crowded bars and large personal gatherings have likely weighed the risks to themselves and their families – they have judged the risks of infection and long COVID to be low and are acting accordingly.

The problem is that they can infect people in the common spaces they share with people who do not have the luxury of ignoring COVID.  These include elderly, small children (not eligible for vaccination), those with comorbidities and those with compromised immune systems. 

Read and sign to show your support.  Please share widely!