Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. have died from COVID between the publication of those two pieces, but she seems as unfazed as ever and convinced that people who took COVID seriously were somehow overreacting.

It's just such a frustrating type of journalism, with the writer's pre-formed opinion driving the direction.

And, I think it's worth keeping in mind, that these types of articles (there was another just the other day in NYT about "the last holdouts" i.e. people who still wear masks) are taking issue with people *choosing* to wear masks places. For the most part, mask mandates (which were always pretty limited) just aren't happening anywhere anymore. This is all very "your personal behavior irritates me and I don't like to be reminded that COVID happened."

It's bizarre. It's controlling.