Post #1678199

I've been seeing conversations this week about being Covid cautious and what that means. The concept of "risk" is not straightforward. There is a risk to myself, and also a risk to others, when it comes to Covid infection and being cautious. If I get infected, the risk isn't only my own. It becomes a risk to others if I then carry that infection in a way that causes it to transmit to others. This is different from a risk of, say, jumping out of an airplane. If my parachute doesn't work, then the risk result is only mine to bear. If I catch a disabling virus, then the next steps I take become very important concerning other people, and part of the risk of infecting others is on me to responsibly mitigate. I think this is where the discussion can break down. It's the same with mask and vaccine mandates. Some people focus on their own personal risk to talk about whether masks and vaccines work, but the conversation needs to include the next step of how an infection would then put others in the vicinity of the infected person at risk. Taking a risk of contracting Covid is one step, and one consideration. But what happens next? What is the plan for how you conduct yourself after experiencing that risky situation? Since so many Covid infections are asymptomatic, you can't rely on whether or not you feel sick to determine whether you are then putting anyone in contact with you or your air space after your risky behavior at risk of contracting Covid. It is always a risk for those people. So does it then come down to others, and their own risk assessments? Is that the moral decision, to allow others to decide how to conduct themselves? What about people who cannot mask for medical or other reasons? Are you ok with taking your risk assessment and carrying it forward over the next few days into every place that you go, and bringing that risk forward to others? This is a large reason why I still mask absolutely everywhere, and why I am so cautious. For myself, and my family, but also for all those unknown-to-me others who I am in direct contact, or who will experience the same air as I have exhaled into. Not taking them into consideration gives me the same feeling that I'm sure many people have when we read about someone with Measles showing up in an airport: Why didn't it occur to them that they would infect other people? #Covid #CovidIsNotOver #WearAMask #LongCovid