Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
I recently returned from a long international trip, including nine flights, a couple buses, and several taxis. I wore a face mask for the first leg of the trip. I was just getting over a cold and was worried that I might still be contagious. I also didn't want to risk catching COVID at the beginning of a long trip. I encountered very few others wearing masks—less than 5% of air travelers and only an occasional crew member. A minority of airport workers wore masks, and many of them wore the masks too low on their faces to serve any useful function. I took all of this as a sign that we aren't concerned with catching COVID anymore. In my travels prior to the onset of the pandemic, I would occasionally see people wearing masks, far fewer than today. So, perhaps we aren't quite back to our behaviors before the pandemic, but we are trending that way.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Fred Schindler (2024) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: