As cases of COVID jump in the ACT, the dilemma for passengers on public transport is whether to mask up or keep on travelling barefaced.
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On the evidence of the morning journeys, there is no great appetite for the return of the face-coverings which were our constant, unpleasant accoutrements for the two years from March 2020.
Certainly, most people on any tram or bus in the ACT weren't wearing them - but a significant minority were (a quarter to a third would be a reasonable estimate).
But the majority were clear in their view.
"I shouldn't have to wear a mask," Leigh Dean said at Alinga Street station. "It's my choice whether I want to wear one or not. And, basically, I don't want to wear one."
But there were several wearers nearby on the platform.
"I wear one because I don't want to catch COVID," passenger Phil Smith said.
"If you're wearing a mask, you're looking after yourself.
"I wear one because I don't want to catch COVID and I've got some travelling to do in the next few weeks, so I don't want to get sick before I leave."
But he was not condemning those who chose not to wear one: "It's your choice to look after yourself or not."
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Paul Eakin wasn't dogmatic behind his mask either: "I wear it so I'm not breathing in when they're coughing and carrying on on public transport."
But (again): "It's up to the individual."
What is clear is that attitudes have changed. Masks have become a bit like scarves in winter: some people wear them and some people don't - but it's no big deal. You can't tell someone's politics by whether they wear a mask or not.
There's a lot of pragmatic common sense out there: "We should listen to the experts. People are still getting sick," Mupan Forepe said.
Information Technology expert Ahmed Numan was also pragmatic: "I believe that COVID-19 is a disease that's not going to get completely eradicated for years, or maybe decades.
"So far in the ACT that I have observed, the situation has been handled very well. There's not many active cases, or severe cases. So far I've seen that you don't need it. Therefore, I'm not wearing one but should there be an increase, I would definitely start observing all the precautions."
Maybe much will depend on the general attitude. The man rushing for the R3 to the airport said: "I'm not wearing one because nobody else is wearing one. I would wear one if everybody else did."
But, he thought, "They probably should be compulsory".
His wife shouted back as they just caught the bus that they would put their masks on at the airport.
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Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
