🧵
Last week, my mom tested positive for Covid for the 2nd (known) time.
In case you haven't read my previous threads, my family back in the Midwest doesn't #Mask up in public or test regularly. Basically, living life like #Covid doesn't exist/treating Covid like its a cold.
I frequently send them masks unsolicited to at least make sure they have them on hand. Thankfully, my mom wore one to church on Sunday because she felt "off". She tested positive later that day, and I'm hoping the mask kept her from spreading it to other churchgoers.
My mom never got her energy back fully after her first confirmed infection. I tried to tell her it sounded like she was dealing with #LongCovid , but she insisted she was just tired from being busy.
This time, I insisted she rest as much as possible and tried to emphasize the importance of rest when infected with #Covid19.
On day 4, I called her to check in, and she was walking the dog. 🫠
This whole time, since #VaxxedAndRelaxed and #CovidIsOver started becoming the dominant narrative, I've been trying so hard to educate my family on why they should use #LayersOfProtection and all of the risks of a covid infection - both long and short term.
They haven't really listened - though my mom wearing a mask to church when she felt sick was an improvement - and it's been exhausting.
At this point, I know maybe 6 or 7 people (8 if you include me) irl, that haven't been infected with #Covid19.
Every time I tell people I've never gotten #Covid , they seem shocked.
All the people I know who are #Novid do at least 2 of the following.
Not spending time indoors unmasked around others that aren't in their "bubble." If they do see people outside their bubble, they try to do stuff outside. If it has to be indoors, everyone must #MaskUp when inside
Don't spend a lot of time in public places indoors - especially when there are crowds.
Having common shared agreements about #CovidPrecautions with the people they do see unmasked (usually about 3 people total - sometimes less - and it's pretty much always the people they live with).
#Masking in public using high-quality and well fitted masks (N95/KF94/KN95) - everyone I know who has remained Covid free is doing this.
I've watched basically every single person I know catch Covid, some of them multiple times, and it gets harder for me to comprehend how myself and others are screaming from the rooftops about #LayersOfProtection , yet they're still not #MaskingUp.
It's honestly just exhausting at this point because not only can the social isolation get you down sometimes, but I'm also just tired of seeing my friends get sick.
This morning at 7:50 a.m., about 43 (ish) people showed up to a theatre in Seattle for a private, Covid cautious screening of Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, The Boy and the Heron.
People took a rapid test and reported results to the organizers before arriving and wore high-quality masks at all times. Folks stayed home if they or anyone in their household felt unwell. Masks and tests were available on site if needed.
Cost was about $13 per ticket after donations from #CovidCautious community members who wanted to help make the event accessible to folks.
CO2 was monitored and never got over 900.
The film was incredible. Knowing there are folks in my community who are willing to wake up early af because they haven't been to the theater in years due to #COVID19 was just as incredible.
Covid safe events aren't just possible, they're desired. Imagine how many people would have attended if it could have been on a Saturday afternoon or evening?
🧵Last week my work held their annual conference for our members.
All of the staff at my work had to be there (including me).
Taking a RAT #Covid test before attending was requested but not required. There was no #MaskRequirement , and the masks on hand were plain surgical masks. To put it lightly, there were no planned #LayersOfProtection in place on a systemic level for this event that was being held during a #CovidSurge
🧵 Right now is a very busy time at my job. I'm mostly remote, but due to the upcoming events we have, I had to be in person for 4 days this week.
Two of those days were due to a multi local member event on Saturday this past week. I was leading recruitment for my local - so I had to be at a run thru meeting on Friday and the event on Saturday.
I showed up to the run-through meeting and quickly realized I was the only person who was wearing a #Mask.
At this point, I'm used to being one of the few people at my job who is still #CovidCautious. Those in charge have made any #LayersOfProtection at work events fall to the wayside. The best we get now is staff taking RATS prior to in person events (with no accountability if you dont) - and a very light suggestion to #MaskUp.
That being said, I was still nervous being the only one in a mask knowing we are in a Covid surge right now. I had my Aranet and the readings were hanging out in the 500s so at least there was that.
As always, I took my lunch and water breaks outside and did not remove my mask indoors.
During the last year or so amid so many people and groups just completely dropping precautions and going back to "normal" - the most upsetting instances have been watching fellow activists and leftists do this.
I expected the ruling class and government to push us all back to "normal" - but what I didn't expect was so many folks who I watched be the first to initiate precautions at their events and pass out masks, saying they were standing in solidarity with workers and those most at risk (which to be blunt is all of us) for covid complications to just take the Biden administration's word that covid was "over".
These are the same people who helped radicalize me, who challenged me to expand my knowledge - who helped me understand that the ruling class has never had the poor and working classes best interests in mind. Who taught me how none of us are free until we are all free.
I am baffled because they are now seemingly taking the governments word for it and dropping all their precautions - even though we've all discussed over and over how our government exists to maintain a patriarchal, white supremacist capitalist state that benefits the ruling class via oppression and exploitation.
How can they possibly justify their abandonment of their fellow community members?
The ruling class makes their events #DavosSafe , they can afford to miss work while they recover from COVID, they can access the best doctors and the best treatments. The ruling class directly benefits from pretending COVID is over.
It justifies taking away increased food stamps, rental assistance, paid leave for COVID, access to testing, and so many other pandemic safety nets that made organizing among the poor and working class even easier.
Even more members of the poor and working class, being chronically ill and disabled directly benefits the ruling class because it is a barrier to organizing. Obviously, the disabled community has BEEN organizing for decades. But it does make it more difficult to organize if you barely have the energy to get out of bed.
The ruling class is banking on a mass disabling event amid the rise of organization across race, class, gender, and labor.
So, like I said: it is baffling to me to watch fellow activists and leftists playing into the #letitrip approach with COVID.
Not only are they pushing away folks who would otherwise love to be involved in their work by dropping protections like masks at events/meetings - they're also making their work harder by risking repeat COVID infection. They're also perpetuating abelism by not making their events and meetings accessible while claiming to be dismantling their internalized abelism.
How are we supposed to build in the shell of the old if we aren't even willing to see that the ruling class is up to their same old ablelist, racist, and classist tricks? How are we supposed to fight together for a better world when you won't wear a mask to protect yourself and others?
Anyway , this is my rant about covid and my frustrations around folks abandoning protocols that save lives and make events accessible to everyone.
I am deeply encouraged and excited by so many folks on here talking about this and working with others to help change things - even when my experiences since mask mandates started being dropped have been very isolating. As always, there is much work to do. ♡
Like, as a fairly extroverted and community oriented person, I completely understand the desire to attend events and be around others.
But what's frustrating is we could have these events and make them safer with #layersofprotection. People have successfully mobilized their communities to put on covid safe events - to provide testing and contact tracing and masks.
With precautions in place, events aren't totally out of the question. But so many people have just - not done that and instead dropped precautions.