Thread by @RealGayArbys

I want you to stop what you're doing and take a look at this hospital sign. I want you to read it closely, and think about what these "health guidelines" are really saying. On the surface, this looks normal and legitimate. But it's total nonsense.

This is a sign, in a world-class hospital, telling people not to enter the *hospital* if they're *sick*.

"Visitors" is ambiguous & could mean "everyone coming here" (patients are visiting the hospital) or "the people visiting alongside the patients." OK. But why is it unsafe for sick people to be in a hospital right now? Is there something going around we should guard against?

Masks aren't required for anyone to wear. But there's a suggestion for who should wear them: "wear a mask if coughing or immunocompromised." Not: wear a mask if you're sick. Just if you're currently coughing. Can I take it off between coughs? What if I have a fever but don't know

This sign is in a hallway. It's not by the front door. By the time you see this sign ("do not enter if sick")? You're already in the building. And if you're supposed to wear a mask? Where are the masks? Also: wash your hands!

Everything about this sign is designed to make you *feel* as though precautions are being taken. It makes sense if you don't think about it. It's official-looking and (seemingly) clear-cut. It lays out rules.

But the rules don't follow any logic or reason. Sick people shouldn't be here? Masks are needed if people are coughing, but what does that mean? What are we guarding against? Safety from what?

We have gotten to the point where people will not question a sign in a hospital that says: sick people stay out of the hospital. We have gotten to a point where everyone's too fried to notice the insanity of such a sign. We're surrounded by signposts like this, lost in a maze.

There is nothing left, in public health, but the barest illusion of coherence. Most healthcare providers are not even trying to make this make sense. We know Covid is airborne; the science is unambiguous. We know asymptomatic spread occurs, and we have known this now for years.

The sign is a symptom, but it tells a whole story about this pandemic. It's not the hospital's fault, if you get sick (sick people stay home!). There's something going around, but we won't say its name. Here's a comforting seal of authority. Wear a mask or do whatever you want.

Until people start paying attention again - until people start reading the signs - these illusions of meaning will hold. So we have to disrupt them however we can.