Salve accolens!
With 12th Night nearly upon us, I wanted to make a small request of you all.
In the last several months, COVID transmissions rates have skyrocketed and flu transmission rates have been downright astronomical. Of course, we’ll have Corsi Rosenthal boxes all over, but mitigation is a stackable attribute; we can engage in multiple forms of mitigation, and each one we embrace increases the overall impact of the mitigation. That’s why I’m taking the initiative to ask you all to consider “reasonable masking” if you attend 12th Night this coming Saturday.
What is “reasonable masking?” The concept is that one should wear a mask at all times that they reasonably can. It’s not strict masking, and it’s not mandatory masking. It’s subjective to each individual, letting each person decide for themselves when and if they mask up. The implication is that we trust each other: if somebody isn’t wearing a mask, we trust that they can’t reasonably wear one at that moment.
Why bother? Obviously strict, mandatory masking would be better at reducing risk. Well, besides the lack of ability and desire to go back to mandatory masking, we should remember that infection is a result of viral load, not just exposure. It’s the unfortunate fact that we’re all exposed to flu and COVID, probably daily, but as long as the viral load is small enough our bodies can fight it off. For these reasons, avoiding exposure is impossible but avoiding infection is a reasonable goal we can aim for.
I love our Barony very much, and I don’t want any of you to become infected while we celebrate a wonderful time together at 12th Night. The baronage and event organizers are doing everything we can to keep you all safe, but there’s only so much we can do. If, through reasonable masking, we can keep that viral load reduced enough that we’re all able to avoid infection, I will be a very happy baroness.
Yours in service,
Baronessa Violeta deValencia
