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Across the Bay Area, vaccinated people are venturing onto breezy restaurant patios, visiting with small groups of inoculated friends and hitting hiking trails unmasked. The science says the risk of getting or transmitting the coronavirus in such scenarios is very low.

But there’s another group of residents who, even after more than a year of social distancing and mask wearing, aren’t quite ready to give up their pandemic ways.

Health experts say that’s not unexpected. People were told for months to protect themselves from the virus, and they’re going to need time to re-emerge as the threat recedes. If the idea of going back to the office or removing your mask makes you nervous, that’s not an unnatural reaction.