katharineMar 9

Who wants to see a fun series of images showing the evolution of my mask use over the course of six years?

(I mean, I’m posting them anywayzies. This is just to say there’s a bunch of selfies coming from this direction to-night.)

(There might be eye contact in a few of the images. I don’t know if alt text gets included in filters, but I’ll try to include the phrase “eye contact” in the alt text where relevant and we can find out together maybe.)

Show threadkatharineMar 9
The year was 2020. A certain novel virus was starting to sweep various nations. There was A LOT of confusion. People put some weird stuff on their heads. Governments scrambled to try to shut as many things down as possible. Tantrums were thrown. We found out that we *should* wear N95s but were strongly advised to leave the limited supply to healthcare workers. A whole lot of us made some efforts to get cloth masks and filters in case there would ever again be opportunities to leave the house.
Show threadkatharineMar 10

Then came 2021. First they said “wear two masks,” then they said “no masks if fully vaxxed,” then they said “oops, it mutated, so, some masks?” KN95s were more accessible and the supply of N95s was increasing. But people were growing tired of making an effort to not catch Covid and it was still confusing as to who could go where and when with which layers of protections. More tantrums ensued.

(Photo is from late 2021, after getting a flu vax just before the Rise of Omicron)

Show threadkatharineMar 10
Everyone you know caught their first Covid infection in 2022. Pandemic fatigue (people getting tired of trying to not catch the virus) combined with the rescinding of mask mandates and the Urgency of Normal brought a slew of positive RATs photos and your FOMO pals posting “welp, it got me” on the socials through Spring and Summer. By Fall, they were “how long will you mask”-ing at sensible people who had not succumbed to the siren calls of “we’re back ba-bay!”
Show threadkatharineMar 10
If you were still Covid-cautious in 2023, you were likely facing increasing hostility from friends and foes alike. A winter tripledemic had pretty much wiped out the cold and flu medicine aisles for months, but, sure, it’s the mental health of the people still wearing masks and upgrading to respirators that was the real concern. 🙄 It was a time of revenge travel and mystery illnesses and the fracturing of relationships.
Show threadkatharine

By 2024, the world at large was fully committed to past-tensing the pandemic while normalizing two sizeable waves of “highly transmissible” Covid variants per year. But because they believe Covid to be a period of time now long in the past, the virus get called “mystery illness” and “summer flu.” The tools we were promised to fight Covid dwindle and evaporate.

The Covid-cautious now have favourite respirators for various occasions.

Mar 10 at 12:38amWeb
Show threadkatharineMar 10

“It’s over” your loved ones insist in 2025, as Covid continues to spread unabated, mutating and evading existing vaccine efficacy. Attempts are now made to normalize a winter quademic. Whooping cough and measles have made a resurgence. Vaccines are under threat. Mask bans are a thing in some regions.

But at least people can go to brunch and concerts and get their hair done.

Show threadConny with a Y Mar 10

@thatkatharine
Nice collection of masks! 😍

Our NZ school notified parents in this week's heads-up that some 'nasty bugs' are going round and to please keep sick children at home. It's late summer/early autumn in the Southern hemisphere, definitely not yet flu season, but sure, don't say the C-word, you might wake the trolls. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Show threadrefraction Mar 10
@thatkatharine it's wild how the pandemic went from acute threat to ancient history in people's minds