End In Sight?

Over a year after the first lockdowns went into effect, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic - or at least the end of the worst of it - appears to be in sight.  That was demonstrated in part by some recent new guidelines from the CDC, advising Americans that it's safe to remove masks outdoors in non-crowded settings.  A walk around a mostly-outdoor zoo on such a day seems pretty appealing.

Of course, many zoos have indoor exhibits, where masks may still be advisable for the short-term... and even outdoors, while the zoo may have considerable acreage, visitors tend to congregate in certain areas, such as viewing windows.  Vaccinations of vulnerable animals have still been fairly minimal.  No zoo wants to be known as the source of a new hotspot, and it's not like we know who is vaccinated or not among the guests, so right now there is a fair bit of hesitancy on the parts of some zoos to fully go masks-down.  

It can be a little frustrating - though most of the visitors I've interacted with have been very good sports about it - and I'm hoping that as numbers improve soon, things can relax a little more.  Every time I see a visitor walking around without one up in a situation where it's required, I remind them in a friendly manner to pull it back up.  So far, everyone has complied just fine.  I always tell them that the end is, hopefully, in sight.

PS: If you're visiting a zoo, remember that the job of mask enforcement has fallen largely onto the shoulders of the frontline guest services staff, such as concessions and gift shop.  They're the least-paid members of the staff and have to dal with a lot, including some fairly rude people everyday - so please, cut them some slack and try not to make their jobs harder than they already are.