Getting Tired of COVID Fatigue

COVID fatigue is a thing.

The first time I left my apartment in March 2020 after New York State closed down, I wore a mask and gloves. The store had a socially distanced line and people were limited and spaced in their entry. People were instructed to go one way down aisles and obeyed. If someone did not wear a mask, a store worker barked, “Sir, please put on your mask.”

The minute I got home, I completely changed and put my clothes in the dryer for 20 minutes (to “detox” them). I left my recycling bags in the hallway and took out supermarket items two at a time, leaving them to “detox” as well. Then I wiped down the counters, washed my hands and face, and stayed indoors for the following three days, waiting for symptoms to develop.

The last time I left my apartment in January 2021, I kept a mask in my pocket. I did not bring gloves. I donned the mask when I exited my car to take a walk around an outdoor shopping center. As people approached me from the other direction, I moved cautiously to the side. One of them, oblivious or on her phone, almost crashed into me.

The day before, I stocked up at the supermarket and witnessed multiple people wearing masks below their noses, walking the wrong way down the aisles. The hand wipe dispenser at the entry point was exhausted, so I used hand sanitizer to clean off the grip…