MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In Wednesday’s Ransom Note: the honor system.
We're all being confronted with a kind of choice we've really never faced before. Because basically no one's requiring us to prove we got vaccinated, now we have to trust that anyone who hasn't will 1) say so and 2) keep observing safety protocols.
An Axios/Ipsos poll cuts to the chase on who we trust to be honest about their vaccination status. 88% of us have a "great deal" or "fair amount" of trust in our family and close friends. For coworkers, it's 71%. Then it drops significantly. Just 31% trust people who are opposed to getting the COVID vaccine. Only one in four of us trust other people dining indoors at a bar or nightclub. Same with people at an outdoor sporting event or concert (25%). Trusting people at an airport: 24%.
That doesn't say much for the honor system, but for those of us who are vaccinated, the fact is we really don't have to worry. Which is why the same poll found two weeks ago 65% with their shots were still wearing masks outside the home. Now it's just 47%. Early on, it was hard getting used to these things and now it's hard to get rid of them. I'm not sure we ever will entirely, but it is nice to know if you have your shots --with very rare exception-- not only are you safe, but you can't infect anyone else.
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