If I am outdoors in a sparse environment, I do not require myself to wear a mask, but should still try to keep a >6' distance between myself and others. If I am already wearing a mask, whether and when I take it off is up to comfort.
If I am indoors but alone in the room, a mask is recommended, as aerosols may still be lingering in the air; but if I figure enough time has passed, and masking is uncomfortable, I'll allow myself to take it off.
If I am outdoors in a crowd, or indoors with any number of people (with exemptions for a few specific people), I must wear a mask.

But when it comes to the "sparse" environment vs "crowd" rule... How many grains in a heap, right? I've tried looking into this myself, but the information I find is vague and contradictory, which leads me to feel conflicted in situations where it might be a heap but it's hard to determine.

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[–] TheModerateTankie@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago

The risk is lower outside because covid won't build up in the air, but you can still get sick if you walk into someones exhaled breathe. Covid hangs in the air similar to smoke. Risk goes up if you are in a crowd, if there is no wind/stagnant air, or if there is a covid wave in your area.

I've seen quite a few people report getting covid by just stepping outside to talk with the neighbors, or going to the store and putting on a mask at the entrance.

I've found the head strap masks more comfortable than the ones that loop around the ears for long term wear (I wear one 8hrs a day at work), and they are more effective, but all masks cut down risk.

BTW, we are currently at historic lows for covid, and it will probably stay that way for another few weeks. If you want to track the risk JPweiland has been pretty accurate in predicting covid waves and current risk, although different regions can vary wildly at times. https://xcancel.com/JPWeiland - https://bsky.app/profile/jpweiland.bsky.social