We returned home to our area of PA today after having been around the US with Amtrak and spending a week in/near San Francisco. What a diverse nation we live in. In SF, pretty much everyone was wearing a mask indoors (extremely few without and even those would put one on if asked) plus many were wearing them outdoors too. No complaints we saw at all.
On the train most people were wearing them, but there were plenty in Observation cars who were not or were only putting them on (or pretending to) when employees came through, then taking them off or pulling them down afterward. Via announcements, Amtrak was requiring them, but in reality only on one train in one situation did they enforce it kicking a man off of a Business Class car on the Coast Starlight. Even as an announcement came on in the California Zephyr telling passengers you’d get two warnings, then sent packing, a lady right across from us told us, “I’ve been on since Salinas and haven’t worn a mask at all, no one has said anything.” We were in Nevada at the time several hours away from Salinas. The whole rest of the time in the Observation cars, probably 1/4th to 1/2 were either wearing chin guards or had them over mouths, but not correctly. There were even ladies on phones on the Southwest Chief calling friends/family letting them know Amtrak is much better than flying because they aren’t enforcing masks.
In stations, Chicago was enforcing it, LA and SF (Emeryville) no enforcement was needed because everyone had them on, and Pittsburgh/Harrisburg no enforcement was even remotely seen with plenty of people not wearing them correctly, including just around their neck or hanging off an ear.
And back here in PA post Amtrak, hardly a mask in sight just like when we left two weeks ago.
Several trains were full or nearly so. There were also a lot of tourists in SF. People are certainly traveling this year. That said, if Covid was on any particular train, it would easily be catchable, esp by those not vaccinated. Coughing at some level was heard on every car we were in. Was it Covid, colds, allergies, smokers, swallowing something wrong? Who knows? A couple even admitted to taking cold meds now and then. From what we heard in conversations most were vaccinated, but there were certainly some vocal travelers who were not.
Fun trip overall with only a glitch or two which I’ll add (maybe tomorrow) to the travel thread. We’ve reached the point where we’re trusting our vaccines and living life almost back to normal. One very iffy point with me is I’m not sure I’m returning to school to work even though I told them I would be. Fortunately, I just told them I’d be subbing math/science and wasn’t interested in anything full time just yet. There will be no masks in school and we’ve been the 3-5th worst county per capita in PA lately.
Traveling is worth the risk to me. I don’t think work is. When school starts even without Covid, germs spread around easily.
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list; she is one tough cookie, and the world revolves around her feelings. It is a big deal to her that her daughter is getting married, so for me, or anyone, to turn down an invite over a fear would be beyond her comprehension.
