I got cursed out by a Lyft driver this week when I noticed he wasn’t wearing a mask and asked him if he would put one on. He said DeSantis says he doesn’t have to and called me a string of names before driving off.

After that encounter, I headed to the large university campus where I teach feeling rattled and trying to gear myself up for a three-hour class in which many of my students have similarly dismissive attitudes toward masks. Since at all public universities here masks are not required but individual schools can tell faculty and students that masks are requested or “expected,” only about two-third of students in my courses wear a face covering in class. Naturally, I have no idea what portion of them are vaccinated, and I’m not allowed to inquire.

We can ask our friends and family members about being vaccinated, though, and we should. In fact, we need to create a new culture in which it is not only acceptable but admirable to ask about others’ vaccination status and their life/work habits before inviting them over or accepting invitations out. We need a pandemic etiquette that worries less about making a social faux pas and more about stopping the spread.