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I’m not gonna try to kid anybody like I’m some sort of expert on covid, but that is what is most important to me right now and what I’ve been thinking about as Biden takes over. I’ve read so many tweets and so much social media in the past few days, I don’t know who said this-
But somebody somewhere said it’s a crime that our covid response has boiled down to ‘individual responsibility’ and I agree 100% with that and anything that the govt does moving forward, I’m going to read thru that lens.
You can’t approach germs and communicable diseases as ‘individuals,’ although there’s clearly a role for individuals to play.
The thing I posted today about masks is important in changing my mindset. I’ve gotten so used to hunting down masks myself and trying to figure out on my own what masks are best and how do I wear this mask the best way etcetc- it hasn’t occurred to me since March-
That 1. There’s been plenty of time for govt/companies to get their feet under them and get high quality masks into production and out to the public and 2. We should be able to turn to the govt (that uses input from scientists and users) for all the ‘mask best practices.’
The article I tweeted earlier. https://twitter.com/atul_gawande/status/1352238602156187648
It will put a considerable hardship on people to afford those types of masks, esp the people that would need them most—the people I work most closely with are elders and people that are homeless. I know as a working class family, we’d have a hard time affording these.
So high quality masks that are easily accessible for esp vulnerable populations are a top priority for me as Biden takes over.
It’s probably actually the most important thing to me bcz it doesn’t look like mr centrist is going to be on board with anymore shut downs, even as other countries have used shut downs very effectively to get numbers under control.
Another thing I’ll be looking for: targeted information. We’ve seemingly identified ‘vulnerable populations’ as people being over 65. And that’s it. Nobody is working directly to outreach to even the over 65 crowd. @ChadLivengood recently posted about how more tech savvy-
60-ish crowd has effectively ‘jumped in line’ around the less tech savvy 70-ish and older crowd bcz they know how to use and are more comfortable with computers and most vaccinations you have to sign up for online.
There should be targeted help and information for all communities, but esp for the ones we have deemed vulnerable. Which leads me to, it’s not just the elderly that are vulnerable. Jesus in heaven.
Try maintaining six feet and wearing a mask all day at a warming center. It’s impossible. And so people don’t even try and covid runs rampant thru community that is living in cars or dependent on couches of friends that will not offer that couch if you have a cough.
There have been ZERO guidelines/guidance for shelters and/or places that interact with regularly with homeless community. In my area that’s meant a constant wrestling with local govt-and trust and believe, ur gonna be hard pressed to find many local govts whose-
Policy on homeless people isn’t ‘let them find some place else to stay.’
Oh the other response ‘call the police.’ So people that are living in tents, for example, get the police called on them, the police come tear down the tents, and people that are sick have lost the safest place they have to shelter and recover or isolate from others.
And what I’ve talked about are the problems of just two single communities in my area. It’s been chaos trying to figure out what to do. I know other communities are struggling just as hard.
So it may take a minute to get targeted help and guidance, but it is essential that it is a goal with a timeline on it.
I know the $2000 (hopefully more than one) check is important and I am pushing hard for it too. But now that we have an administration that says they want to do more, we need to start thinking about how and where we need them to do more.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been so focused on just surviving since March, I’ve been focusing on my individual ‘dear god is this mask good enough’ buisness and haven’t even imagined what a community/state/fed response might look like.
So for right now, these are the spots I want more. 1. High quality masks and info about how to wear made accessible. 2. Targeted help/guidance for all communities w special attn to vulnerable 3. Recognition that there are multiple intersecting vulnerable communities.
