The scene: A crowded shopping center in the weeks before Christmas. Or a warehouse store. Or maybe a packed airport terminal or a commuter train station or another place where large groups gather.

There are people 害羞草研究所� lots of people. But look around, and it害羞草研究所檚 clear one thing is largely absent these days: face masks.

Yes, there害羞草研究所檚 the odd one here and there, but nothing like it was three years ago at the dawn of the COVID pandemic害羞草研究所檚 first winter holidays 害羞草研究所� an American moment of contentiousness, accusation and scorn on both sides of the mask debate.

As 2023 draws to an end, with promises of holiday parties and crowds and lots of inadvertent exchanges of shared air, mask-wearing is much more off than on around the country even as COVID害羞草研究所檚 long tail lingers. The days of anything approaching a widespread mask mandate would be like the Ghost of Christmas Past, a glimpse into what was.

Look at it a different way, though: These days, mask-wearing has become just another thing that simply happens in America. In a country where the mention of a mask prior to the pandemic usually meant Halloween or a costume party, it害羞草研究所檚 a new way of being that hasn害羞草研究所檛 gone away even if most people aren害羞草研究所檛 doing it regularly.

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 an interesting part of the pandemic,害羞草研究所� says Brooke Tully, a strategist who works on how to change people害羞草研究所檚 behaviors.

害羞草研究所淗ome delivery of food and all of those kind of services, they existed before COVID and actually were gaining some momentum,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淏ut something like mask-wearing in the U.S. didn害羞草研究所檛 really have an existing baseline. It was something entirely new in COVID. So it害羞草研究所檚 one of those new introductions of behaviors and norms.害羞草研究所�

THE SITUATION NOW IS 害羞草研究所� SITUATIONAL

It tends to be situational, like the recent decision from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospital system to reinstate a mask mandate at its facilities starting Dec. 20 because it害羞草研究所檚 seeing an increase in respiratory viruses. And for people like Sally Kiser, 60, of Mooresville, North Carolina, who manages a home health care agency.

害羞草研究所淚 always carry one with me,害羞草研究所� she says, 害羞草研究所満π卟菅芯克鶛cause I never know.害羞草研究所�

She doesn害羞草研究所檛 always wear it, depending on the environment she害羞草研究所檚 in, but she will if she thinks it害羞草研究所檚 prudent. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 kind of like a new paradigm for the world we live in,害羞草研究所� she says.

It wasn害羞草研究所檛 that long ago that fear over catching COVID-19 sent demand for masks into overdrive, with terms like 害羞草研究所淣95害羞草研究所� coming into our vocabularies alongside concepts like mask mandates 害羞草研究所� and the subsequent, and vehement, backlash from those who felt it was government overreach.

Once the mandates started dropping, the masks started coming off and the demand fell. It fell so much so that Project N95, a nonprofit launched during the pandemic to help people find quality masks, announced earlier this month that it would stop sales Monday because there wasn害羞草研究所檛 enough interest.

Anne Miller, the organization害羞草研究所檚 executive director, acknowledges she thought widespread mask usage would become the rule, not the exception.

害羞草研究所淚 thought the new normal would be like we see in other cultures and other parts of the world 害羞草研究所� where people just wear a mask out of an abundance of caution for other people,害羞草研究所� she says.

But that害羞草研究所檚 not how norms work, public safety or otherwise, says Markus Kemmelmeier, a professor of sociology at the University of Nevada, Reno.

In 2020, Kemmelmeier authored a study about mask-wearing around the country that showed mask usage and mandate resistance varied by region based on conditions including pre-existing cultural divisions and political orientation.

He points to the outcry after the introduction of seatbelts and seatbelt laws more than four decades ago as an example of how practices, particularly those required in certain parts of society, do or don害羞草研究所檛 take hold.

害羞草研究所淲hen they first were instituted with all the sense that they make and all the effectiveness, there was a lot of resistance,害羞草研究所� Kemmelmeier says. 害羞草研究所淭he argument was basically lots of complaints about individual freedoms being curtailed and so forth, and you can害羞草研究所檛 tell me what to do and so forth.害羞草研究所�

FIGURING OUT THE BALANCE

In New York City害羞草研究所檚 Brooklyn borough, members of the Park Slope Co-op recently decided there was a need at the longstanding, membership-required grocery. Last month, the co-op instituted mask-required Wednesdays and Thursdays; the other five days continue to have no requirement.

The people who proposed it weren害羞草研究所檛 focused on COVID rates. They were thinking about immune-compromised people, a population that has always existed but came to mainstream awareness during the pandemic, says co-op general manager Joe Holtz.

Proponents of the mask push at the co-op emphasized that immunocompromised people are more at risk from other people害羞草研究所檚 respiratory ailments like colds and flu. Implementing a window of required mask usage allows them to be more protected, Holtz says.

It was up to the store害羞草研究所檚 administrators to pick the days, and they went with two of the slowest instead of the busy weekend days on purpose, Holtz says, a nod to the reality that mask requirements get different responses from people.

害羞草研究所淔rom management害羞草研究所檚 point of view,害羞草研究所� he says, 害羞草研究所渋f we were going to try and if there害羞草研究所檚 going to be a negative financial impact from this decision that was made, we want to minimize it.害羞草研究所�

Those shopping there on a recent Thursday didn害羞草研究所檛 seem fazed.

Aron Halberstam, 77, says he doesn害羞草研究所檛 usually mask much these days but wasn害羞草研究所檛 put off by the requirement. He wears a mask on the days it害羞草研究所檚 required, even if he doesn害羞草研究所檛 otherwise 害羞草研究所� a middle ground reflecting what is happening in so many parts of the country more than three years after the mask became a part of daily conversation and daily life.

害羞草研究所淎ny place which asks you to do it, I just do it,害羞草研究所� Halberstam says. 害羞草研究所淚 have no resistance to it.害羞草研究所�

Whatever the level of resistance, says Kemmelmeier, the culture has shifted. People are still wearing masks in places like crowded stores or while traveling. They do so because they choose to for their own reasons and not because the government is requiring it. And new reasons can come up as well, like when wildfires over the summer made air quality poor and people used masks to deal with the haze and smoke.

害羞草研究所淚t always will find a niche to fit in with,害羞草研究所� he says. 害羞草研究所淎nd as long as there are needs somewhere, it will survive.害羞草研究所�

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