<em>The Atlantic Daily</em>: What the Pandemic Has Done to Casual Friendships

Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.

Americans are just trying to get by. The country now sits in vaccine purgatory, a new phase of the pandemic that, unfortunately, retains many of the painful parts of the last.

One question, answered: An anonymous reader from Georgia asks if it’s wrong to tell an employee at the local pharmacy to pull up their mask.

I’m a 65-year-old art teacher who has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis. … Not wanting to be considered a “Karen,” I’ve kept my concerns to myself. How should I say something?

James Hamblin responds in his latest “Ask Dr. Hamblin” column:

Unlike asking to speak to someone’s manager because he forgot to hold the pickles, there’s a moral case for speaking up. …

Ideally, if you have a rapport with this person, there’s a way to explain your position to her. You’re a high-risk individual and you’d really appreciate it if she could pull her mask up. Statements of genuine concern followed by a request for help are generally more effective than anything that feels like scolding.

Read the rest. Every Wednesday, James takes questions from readers about health-related curiosities, concerns, and obsessions. Have one? Email James at paging.dr.hamblin@theatlantic.com.

Tonight’s Atlantic-approved isolation activity:

Immerse yourself in the cinematic world of the year’s first big single: Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License.” The song implies a world of characters—and inspires listeners to role-play as them, our critic Spencer Kornhaber writes.

Today’s break from the news:

Genetic genealogy has cracked cases that have been cold for decades. But, as an Atlantic analysis found, this new tool has been used disproportionately for cases in which both the victims and the suspects are white.

Sign up for The Atlantic Daily here.

Caroline Mimbs Nyce is a senior associate editor at The Atlantic.