#n95 — Public Fediverse posts

Nervous laugh from a senior dev coworker I don't usually see face-to-face. He is staring at me 'cause I am wearing an N95 mask as I walk into a room at the same time as him. He asks,

"Heh heh, I see!
Are you...
Is there something you know?...
That I should worry about?"

I am the last one in the room to still be wearing a mask.

There is one other masking coworker in a nearby group.

That's it.

So many words. No words.

#covid #n95

The most common reactions to my #N95 masking in 2026. (In no particular order.)

• Total indifference. As if I'm not even wearing one.

• Slight twitch of the face upon first seeing it but otherwise ignores it.

• Longish stare with confused look (often followed by and eye roll or dismissive head shake).

• Seemingly genuine curiosity; asking why I'm wearing a mask when I don't have to. (Genuineness of the question is quickly determined by the reaction to the answer.)

• Can't fathom why I'm doing it but admirers the commitment.

• Keeping a "safe distance" away because of the assumption that I'm sick, but otherwise not saying anything.

• "Are you sick?", asked from two metres away.

• Asking "are you ok" and meant in the sense of questioning my mental health, usually said with a fake look of concern. When I confirm that yes, I am in fact doing great, a follow up quizzical look, eye roll, or some other indication that that can't possibility be true.

• Unspoken but clear annoyance.

• Outright verbal hostility.

#CovidIsNotOver #MaskUp2026