I don't understand that trend happening in California since it doesn't match the rest of the country and doesn't line up with a spike in cases a few weeks prior.
But what's different between 2020 and now:
- We understand covid risk, treatment, etc. better now. There's a box around it. In 2020 we didn't know what would happen, if there would ever be a vaccine, or what variants might do. We don't know what the next variant will be, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but "variant" is a less scary word if only due to having been through two of them and come out.
- In 2022 the deaths are more voluntary than in 2020. Of course some people can't get a vaccine or remain at higher risk despite a vaccine. And it's a tragedy that the world will remain more dangerous for some, maybe permanently. But after 2 years of on and off measures we know we can't keep it up forever.
I'd be all for making it a social convention to wear masks (at certain times) going forward every flu season, which some cultures already did before covid. While wearing a mask I didn't get my annual cold last winter, which was awesome. If you de-politicize it and think of it as a piece of cloth, it stops being a big deal. But keeping stuff closed needs to stop.
