(WXYZ) — Since the Pandemic officially ended, not many people have been masking up. But it's not a practice some people are ready to part with. With the rise of the quad-demic, more people may be turning to old ways.
"At the grocery store just like out and about. And obviously in doctor's offices. It's all coming back to where everybody has to wear them, even if they're not working on you directly," Amanda said.
Increased mask awareness comes as COVID-19, RSV, the flu and norovirus levels continue to rise.
"Some clients are walking back in the store with masks are we don't reinforce it yet, but we're starting to see it to come back," pharmacist Rudy Njam said.
While some experts have coined the term 'quad-demic, Doctor Lea Monday says, it might sound scarier than it is.
"Our levels actually are not higher than normal," Lea said. "They're just going up to how they were."
Doctor Monday tells me, because of the protocols put into place during the COVID years, experts are comparing the current levels of infection to the rates of infection pre-pandemic.
"We are beginning to see some of the return to the pre-pandemic patterns and levels that we've been waiting for," Lea said.
Meaning we are on track to have a normal rate of infection year, according to pharmacist Rudy Njam.
"Usually around this time of the year, we do have a huge flare-up," Rudy said. "You know, after the holidays, everybody got together. You have New Year's, you have Christmas, you have lots of indoor events, crowded places. So this is the busiest week in pharmacy and drugstore."
And during this sick season, you might see people masking up more frequently.
"I could definitely see masking coming back to that, but I think it's going to be to the extent that it was," Doug said.
But it shouldn't be cause for alarm.
"For, you know, larger droplet illnesses like influenza, RSV, other types of pneumonia masking is extremely effective for reducing the spread," Lea said.
In this post-pandemic world, masks are becoming a part of illness prevention, especially during the cold and flu season.
"I think the change has really been people trying to safely reengage in society the way we did before. Covid and masks are a crucial part of minimizing the spread of all these things that happen in the winter," Lea said.
And when it comes to norovirus specifically, Rudy the pharmacist says hand sanitizer will NOT kill it. You must wash your hands with soap and water.
