You know that something has been ingrained into your thinking when doing something “normal” feels weird.
I am of course talking about going out on Sunday without a mask, and without worrying about wearing one in any indoor setting.
The “weird” part of this is, I knew it was coming, it was mentioned over and over in all of the news releases and stories, and comments from everybody that this was ‘The Day’ everyone was waiting for: the end of COVID restrictions.
So I went to our church, and for the first time in a year and a half, I didn’t have to wear a mask inside. I could wear one if I felt the need to, but there wasn’t a requirement to wear it.
Same with going to Subway and to the grocery store later that day – the signs at the door saying you have to wear a mask were gone. Gone!
It was … normal, or a return to what we had always done as a regular activity before this pandemic slammed into our world. It felt really good to not wear a mask, but it felt weird at the same time, almost like we were doing something wrong.
There is a proviso, of course, to this non-mask wearing thing. If you go to any Saskatchewan Health Authority facility, including a long-term care home or a hospital, you’ll still have to wear one there.
As these facilities have a more vulnerable population, this is understandable, to an extent. If you have a long-term care home where the majority of staff and residents are fully vaccinated, there really shouldn’t be a need for masks.
I think there will be a period of adjustment, as the restrictions on distancing or group sizes is also gone. I personally am greatly looking forward to being able to go to something where there are people, a crowd, and I don’t have to worry about how many there are.
In particular, the Weyburn Fair is on this weekend, and the demo derby will be on Sunday (crowds!), with barrel-racing on Friday, the DQ Kids Rodeo on Saturday, and the midway running for the four days, among many other things.
You know what? This COVID thing has had all of us on edge for the past year and a half, and we need this, we really need this. Even if the fair isn’t quite like ones you remember (no chuckwagons), you should still go, and enjoy it. Eat fair food, see the rides, and enjoy the demo derby. Do it!
