Has life gotten easier where you are? In some ways, I think it has, here...and in many ways, I think it has not. Some stores have posted notices that masks are no longer required if you fully vaccinated for COVID (but, of course, unless they are going to ask for proof--which they are not--there's no way for them to know), some have removed any notices about masks (so there's no way to know what the official policy is), and others are still requiring masks for everybody. (I should note that even those in the first category are still requiring masks for their employees.)
Traffic around here has picked up as well...still not up to pre-pandemic levels, but there are decidedly more cars on the road, especially during morning rush hour (that may be because most of the schools here have gone back to at least partial in-person classes...and may stop in a few weeks when school ends). Public transportation commuting still seems lower than 18 months ago, though even some of that is busier than six or eight weeks ago. The parking lot at the local commuter train station is three-quarters full most mornings now, whereas it was virtually empty in February. OTOH, the overflow lot a few blocks away, which used to be completely full by 8 AM, is still mostly unused.
Of course, lower traffic than normal may make life easier. It's faster to get most places these days than it was in 2019. It's also made things quieter in our house, since we live on the main drag through our town.
What's changed around you and what do you think will be a permanent change?
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