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Back to school chats have me thinking, so a thread.
I see people struggling to navigate a line between extremes of blind panic versus I'm-alright-Jack.
Like, how can we hold on to a sense of security while still protecting those around us? 1/9
I see people struggling to navigate a line between extremes of blind panic versus I'm-alright-Jack.
Like, how can we hold on to a sense of security while still protecting those around us? 1/9
Yesterday I chatted to 2 friends, parents of my kids' friends. One feels distressed at the risk we're all running in the school, close crowding, lack of masks. One is worried about all the health stuff being overlooked because of Covid: mental health, undiagnosed cancers etc. 2/9
My sympathies lie mainly with the latter parent. I'm confident in my risk assessment: for our family, the risk of mental health collapse is *way* greater than the risk of illness from Covid.
And I get the school calculus: if community transmission is kept down, most kids are ok.
And I get the school calculus: if community transmission is kept down, most kids are ok.
Also, in general, I'm comfortable with policy being made on the basis that most kids are ok.
IF those who are not ok are protected.
In this case it's pretty clear that they're not.
That's a problem, and that's where MASSIVE attention is needed
My kids though are fine. 4/9
IF those who are not ok are protected.
In this case it's pretty clear that they're not.
That's a problem, and that's where MASSIVE attention is needed
My kids though are fine. 4/9
I think people are struggling with holding these different realities: that their kids are probably fine/ but the virus is a serious threat to many/ and ultimately we are all at risk from the virus overwhelming our systems entirely.
I wish this were stated more clearly and often.5
I wish this were stated more clearly and often.5
Remember Northern Italy in February - one of Europe's best healthcare systems? Regular wards turned into emergency care; field hospitals; healthcare staff sick and dying? That's still the risk we're fighting. 6/9
People with underlying conditions won't all survive this virus. Some of them are your friends + family.
If they get sick, our hospitals will become overwhelmed.
They will get sick if too many young and well people get sick.
See Florida, Madrid. 7/9
If they get sick, our hospitals will become overwhelmed.
They will get sick if too many young and well people get sick.
See Florida, Madrid. 7/9
The hard thing here, I think, is to maintain daily life without fear but not come to believe that the virus is defeated or imagined. There IS a pandemic. It may not kill you or yours directly, but it still threatens you and yours. And so we have to hold firm, and trust each other
That last part is the hardest. The trusting each other. It's made harder by political messing and scare mongering on all sides.
So I find myself telling my friends:
There is a pandemic. It is deadly serious. And you're probably ok. And we need to mind more than just infection.
So I find myself telling my friends:
There is a pandemic. It is deadly serious. And you're probably ok. And we need to mind more than just infection.
