[Organizers] Re: Is it time to change our mask mandates?

Becoming infected by Covid today is a lower risk to the individual than at the start of the pandemic. However, becoming infected by Covid is also an opportunity for the Covid virus to be transmitted to others, and to mutate. R0 is the number of people that an infected individual is likely to infect. R0 was 5.4 in Dec 2022. XBB.1.5 is estimated to be 82% of all Covid cases today. 5.4 and 82% are not numbers influenced by communities or individuals attitudes towards risk. Only by community and individual behavior. People who assume increased risk for themselves are also assuming increased risk for 5.4 other people. Masks, vaxes, and emails mitigate risks. These data are from an article published by a reputable university hospital last month on Mar 17 2023. Scroll to the last page for R0. https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2023-03/Oregon-Hospital-Forecast-T… Mac Sloan