I love Vashon. I luxuriate in the beauty of the island and its smart, compassionate, informed people every time I visit.

So, I was floored when I attended an event with my 90-year-old friend last Friday. Surprisingly, we were two of the very few wearing masks and seating was tight. As I returned from intermission, the man seated next to us turned away from his girlfriend and caught a huge, wet cough/sneeze in his hand.

I stepped back, horrified, waiting for the air to clear, when he did it again: coughed/sneezed directly onto my elderly companion.

The woman told me it was okay, because he had run a big dusty trail race earlier and had been cough/sneezing all day.

I was flabbergasted as I explained that why he was cough/sneezing was irrelevant, he could be an asymptomatic covid spreader.

She took offense at having the obvious pointed out, her boyfriend simply shrugged.

I wondered if they would have self-reflected had they known that two days earlier my 90-year-old friend’s daughter, son-in-law, and young grandson tested positive, leaving us fraught with worry.

I wondered why they behave this way with Omicron spreading so easily, making people sick and taking the lives of so many.

The bubble of safety I previously believed my friends lived in has vanished. I now assume Vashonites are either unaware they can spread covid asymptomatically or no longer feel obligated to be cautious.

With this trip, the magic of Vashon has taken a hit and I worry for all the people I care about here.

— DonnaAnn Ward, Baltimore, Maryland