Thread by @broadwaybabyto

Make no mistake - the CDC decision to change Covid isolation from 5 days to 1 day is an economic & political one. It’s NOT about health and it will kill & disable people. It’s to push people back to work & drive the narrative that Covid is only a risk to the “vulnerable” /1 🧵

Think about what this messaging tells people. If you’re not keeping up with the science you could easily think “well if it was really THAT bad they would be having us isolate.” The problem is - it IS that bad. But governments have given up. They want people back to “normal.” /2

They don’t want to have to provide paid sick days or have people staying home (and not spending money) for extended periods of time. They KNOW herd immunity isn’t happening & they KNOW reinfections are rampant. Sick is our “new normal.” /3

With people constantly sick we can’t be telling them to isolate - because then what would happen to the economy? How would we convince people that the threat has passed and that they have nothing to worry about? /4

The reality is decisions like this one represent a doubling down of the false narrative that’s been shoved down on our throats since the rush back to “normal.” They want you to believe Covid is mild, not a threat & that it’s ok to be out infecting others. Its not. /5

We have to push back on this. We are going in the wrong direction and it’s not sustainable. This is short term gain in exchange for long term pain. Repeated Covid infections and constant sickness do not have to be our new normal. /6

If we would just recognize that this virus is still here, still killing & disabling people and a risk to EVERYONE we could start working on mitigations that would drastically reduce the spread. We have the tools - we simply lack the will. /7

Please push back on this isolation guidance in any way you can. Stay home if you’re sick. If you absolutely can’t stay home - wear a mask. Start thinking critically about WHY the government might want to change isolation guidelines when cases & deaths are still incredibly high /8

And if you’re someone who still thinks Covid “only” impacts the vulnerable - I challenge you to consider why you’ve decided the vulnerable are expendable. We aren’t. Also if you’ve had multiple covid infections? You’re probably far more vulnerable than you realize. /9

We don’t have to accept constant sickness, death & disability as our new normal. We can make choices daily to fight back. Wear a respirator, clean the air, stay home if you’re sick. Take Covid seriously - because it IS a serious threat. Infection doesn’t have to be inevitable /10

Finally - consider what decisions like this say to disabled and vulnerable people. Many of us have spent the last 4 years being told our lives don’t matter. That our ability to safely access public spaces - even healthcare - is less important than a pretend version of normal. /11

Reducing the isolation requirement will disappear more of us from society. It will make places even less accessible. It tells us ONCE AGAIN that we aren’t worth protecting. We will adapt - we always do - but more people will become disabled & vulnerable. Enough is enough. /end