It’s been almost a week since fully vaccinated people in the state could take off their face mask in certain spots.
In Meriden, many people have already ditched their mask or are planning to do soon.
“I feel that being fully vaccinated, my chances of getting COVIDare less,” said Robert Limarzi of Meriden.
But you’ll still find a lot of people keeping their face covering on even after the state eased the mask mandate last week.
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“It’s a minor inconvenience as far as I’m concerned,” said Dennis Rookwood of Meriden.
“I prefer to keep it on right now,” said Shannon Spruill of Meriden.
There are a lot of reasons, from health to personal, why people continue to wear them. And it doesn’t come as a surprise to University of New Haven Associate Psychology Professor Melissa Whitson.
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“There has been so much anxiety and uncertainty during this pandemic and masks have been kind of the one security that we've had to be able to venture out and do our normal activities,” said Whitson.
Whitson said it make sense people have become somewhat attached to their mask and there might be difficulty in letting them go.
There are also other things to think about including setting a role model for kids who still need to wear one.
“If people want to take those extra precautions, we just need to be compassionate to them,” said Whitson.
Though more people might be ready to let go of this COVID-19 accessory as vaccination numbers continue to increase and cases drop.
“If people want to gradually not wear their masks to give themselves some time and some room to do it when it feels more comfortable and eventually they will venture out and try it at in more places,” said Whitson.
Even those who are ready to take off the mask are still keeping it close by because these days you never know where you might need it.
