To mask or not to mask? With vaccines and new guidelines, the mask-faithful navigate a 'weird gray area.'

When David Díaz went for a recent 5-mile run in Iowa City, he took along a partner he has depended on for more than a year: his face mask.

Some Americans never fully embraced face masks, those swaths of fabric that became one of the seminal flash points of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic. But for many across the nation who did, rising vaccination rates and shifting public health advice are forcing a recalibration of a relationship with an accessory that has served as a shield against a deadly pathogen, a security blanket during a crisis, and a symbol - of regard for the common good, liberal politics or belief in science.

That confusion is common, said Faisal Khan, director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health. That is "a relatively significant shift," said Chris Jackson, senior vice president and head of polling at Ipsos. "I do think that is somewhat attributable to CDC's updated guidelines, and Democrats essentially having some sort of signal that yes, it is okay to change your behavior."

Rob Hart, who's been vaccinated since taking part in the J&J trial last fall, almost wanted to do that the other day. Hart, a novelist, said he still believes in the value of masking in public, in part to signal concern about others' welfare. But as he emerged from a subway station in Manhattan, he took off his mask to get some fresh air. A man about 20 feet away - his own mask below his chin - promptly yelled at Hart for being uncovered.

"It just makes me feel comfortable and a bit safer," the boy said. "The only time I ever enjoy taking it off is at home." Brookline resident Kathleen Vandenberg, 46, lives just 20 feet from the Boston border. She is planning to start running again next week - and when she does, she'll do so in Boston. She has mild asthma, and breathing while running is easier without a mask. But she plans to keep it on her chin - not for anyone's safety, but to avoid being seen as anti-mask.

This should simplify it

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