Since the pandemic, many of us are still very wary about anyone who is sneezing or coughing, yet we are in the middle of allergy season. The easiest and lest fussy way of protecting others is to wear a mask, which protects others from you to some extent. A few months ago, I experienced this phenomenon after doing landscaping work to clear off some itchy balls but forgot to mask up. The next two days I had a horse voice and my throat was a little sore. I figured it was due to the work I did Sunday without a mask but on Thursday am, on my way to my nephew's wedding in California, I realized it was a full blown cold. Many of us have experienced similar situations. Is there a simple way to tell the difference? The NY Times recently published an article that looks at the signs that can help us understand whether we have allergies or a virus. According to the NY Times, a cold usually is accompanied by Severe sore throat Fever Body Aches Allergies are more commonly associated with Clear mucus Itchiness Sneezing I experienced these types of symptoms when my brother and I attended Jazz Fest in New Orleans. When I walked into the music recordings tent, I started sneezing which stopped after leaving it. There was open hay on the floor and I do poorly with that. On the way out of the venue, as we neared the exit, the same phenomenon occurred until we walked about 20 feet ahead. Jazz fest occurs in the NOLA race track. While some of this may feel obvious, at other times, an allergy appears to become a cold so was it a cold all along. Check out the article using the link below Is It a Cold, or Is It Allergies?