Thread by @nb_covid_info

If you are still factoring covid into your decision-making and still taking precautions, please don’t give up.

Please reach out and find peers online. You can do social events with @TheWHN , look at #StillCoviding groups on Facebook. Finding community is so important.

So many volunteers are working extremely hard to make things better.

But one thing I’ve heard a lot this month from longtime experts and people who worked during sars 1, is that this is going to take TIME.

And I know. That is really hard to hear when you have young kids. Especially if they’re in in person school or daycare, and school or daycare are ignoring your concerns and failing to act on airborne hazard.. or if you have ageing or vulnerable family and friends 💔

It’s hard to hear if your job is in person and protections are being eroded. If your friends and family are increasingly pathologizing your rational concerns and mitigation measures.

Community really helps. Community can inspire you and bring you joy. Community will share tips and resources.

Even just being able to converse with others without having to apologize for bringing up COVID or wanting to address it.

Imagine, being made to feel badly for continuing to care about a disease that has killed over 50,000 Canadians in just 3 years.

But that’s reality for many of us. The majority of people around us have shamed and othered us for continuing to care. Even when we’re helping.

We’re not just complaining or whining. We’re stopping chains of transmission in our communities by masking. We’re buying and sharing masks. Advocating for access to testing and helping others get tests. Advocating for access to vaccines and helping others get vaccinated.

Gosh, it sounds like we’re doing the work of public health. And being ostracized for it.

We’re also sharing information that PH has been incentivized not to share. Important and actionable information on long COVID and airborne transmission among other aspects.

We’re doing really beautiful things for our communities. And over time, as people slowly realize they’ve been duped by business interests, they’ll return to community care and take up some of this work too. People will advocate for clean air in schools.

People will insist on improved indoor air quality. People will build DIY filtration for community spaces. People will augment outdoor gathering and event spaces and get creative on how to connect and have fun together in safer ways.

Despite knowing exactly how and why to do this, it will take time.

Don’t give up.

I forgot to say one really important thing:

Be *proud* of resisting mass infection.

Be proud of resisting complacency.

Be proud of the good example you are, the space you make for others.

You’re doing something super incredible. Well worth being proud of.