Yesterday, some Australian official decreed that citizens are not allowed to take their masks off outside to consume alcohol. Today, the President of New Zealand orders citizens *not to talk to their neighbors*.
They seem demented, oblivious to the costs of sustained isolation.
They seem demented, oblivious to the costs of sustained isolation.
https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1427679508954497028
I've taken COVID very seriously. I isolated with my family from the start, wore masks, got vaccinated the first day I could.
But the refusal of policy makers to weigh the *substantial mental & physical harms from ongoing restrictions, even in a post-vaccine world, is maddening.
But the refusal of policy makers to weigh the *substantial mental & physical harms from ongoing restrictions, even in a post-vaccine world, is maddening.
Last March, I interviewed 2 mental health specialists -- Andrew Solomon & @johannhari101 -- who warned that even a couple months of isolation could be devastating in western countries where mental health was already in crisis: falling mostly on the poor.
theintercept.com/2020/04/15/wat…
theintercept.com/2020/04/15/wat…
Here's the Victorian Premiere in Australia, Daniel Andrews, issuing his threatening decree yesterday. Listen to the imperious tone, even as the number of deaths and COVID cases in his state remains very low:
When it was necessary to cheer the BLM protests -- after months of being told it's immoral to leave your house -- the argument became: don't worry! It's very hard to get COVID outside if masked.
What happened to that? Now it's: don't talk to your neighbors even if vaccinated!
What happened to that? Now it's: don't talk to your neighbors even if vaccinated!
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