FWIW, my kids just went back to school in person in August for the first time since March 2020. We don’t have great vax rates where we are. Both kids’ schools require masks all day and enforce it. One school tests the class for COVID weekly (pooled test, individual tests if the class comes up positive, which knock on wood, it hasn’t yet in 5 weeks). We test my older kid weekly because her closest friends at school are also unvaxxed bc they’re too young (otherwise the school is at 85% and all the faculty are vaxxed). My younger one had an indoor playdate with a friend from school and they wore masks inside but not outside, and it seemed fine and her parents were supportive. We’ll relax once both kids are vaxxed but that seems like a ways off.

@Theresa – oh wow, thank you! That is so sweet of you – I really appreciate it. Thank YOU.

Thanks! This is very helpful to think about. Vax rates are not great in my neck of the woods, unfortunately. So still seeing friends outside at parks for now. Luckily the weather is cooling down, which makes it more enjoyable.

@Dee- I’m not sure where you’re located but the vax percentages are pretty high where I am and cases are moderate. My husband, 14-year-old, and I are all vaccinated. We generally mask up anywhere indoors where we can’t spread out. My too-young-for-vaccine children wear masks almost everywhere — not because I insist on it but they just generally do, out of habit. (Not the baby, obviously, but he’s mostly outside or not too close to many other people). Their schools require universal masking. With those precautions in place, I’m pretty comfortable with trying to live something close to what we normally would. We’ll be masked in the corrals at the start of the half-marathon, and everyone had to show vax or a negative test to run, for instance.

@Gillian – excellent! So glad that worked. I’d add for anyone thinking about it that you don’t have to be in medicine to come. I assume the majority of the audience will be in that field since that’s who it’s been advertised to, but anyone is welcome and the productivity/time content is certainly for anyone.

@Daniela – thank you! Hopefully people will find it informative and fun 🙂