normalise being open and negotiating around COVID risk management with your friends

do you have a friend who’s high risk? have you spoken to them about what they need you to do if you’re gonna be in their life over winter?

do you know if your friends have diabetes, heart disease, asthma, COPD? are they pregnant, are they immunocompromised?

if you want to be in their lives, then you may need to make some adjustments.

in a month or two’s time, many people will be coughing and sneezing. the level of community COVID transmission is expected to increase. it will become more dangerous to spend time with people who are not taking sensible precautions to manage their exposure to COVID.

many people have already endured months of isolation because they’re at high risk of serious disease if they are exposed to a transmissible level of virus. if you have friends like this, talk to them about how you might stay able to see them.

it’s not a black and white matter - if you work in a high contact workplace, you can still minimise risk. if you need to socialise in pubs, you can agree a place with good social distancing, table service and outside space. you can mask up, and insist your other friends mask up.

instead of sitting close to pals and talking, you can play games - badminton, frisbee, stickball - that are less risky. and you can be rigorous about either 2m or masks when you do see friends.

act as though your vulnerable friends are around you. act as though you care about them. act as though ill and disabled people matter to you. because if you don’t, it isolates them and forces them to choose between their health and their friends.