Should I keep wearing my mask or should I fling it in the closet? Should I balloon my bubble or keep it tight? Should I leave it all on the nightclub dance floor or stay busting moves in the kitchen?
With the recent lifting of most of B.C.sa国际传媒檚 COVID-19 safety measures, you may have been asking yourself these questions. Everybodysa国际传媒檚 answer will be a little different depending on their circumstances.
Steven Taylor, a professor with the UBC department of psychiatry, told me in a phone interview this week that when restrictions are lifted, most people sa国际传媒渂ounce backsa国际传媒� rapidly to their old behaviours.
sa国际传媒淏ut that doesnsa国际传媒檛 apply to everyone,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淪ome people are very anxious or theysa国际传媒檙e slow to warm up and some people are highly anxious and are in need of treatment for their anxiety.sa国际传媒�
If you have a friend whosa国际传媒檚 anxious about re-opening, Taylor recommends asking them what they need and what would help them feel more comfortable.
sa国际传媒淒onsa国际传媒檛 go telling them sa国际传媒榦h you should take off your mask sa国际传媒� let me take that off for yousa国际传媒�. You want to enable their sense of control and let them do whatever opening up they want to do at their own pace.sa国际传媒�
When yousa国际传媒檙e indoors, consider wearing your mask to keep yourself and others safe. If someone doesnsa国际传媒檛 want to stand next to you, give them space. When you go in for the handshake or a hug, ask if someone is comfortable with that first. Essentially: use your COVID common sense and donsa国际传媒檛 be rude.
When April 8 comes around the B.C. Vaccine Card will be lifted and unvaccinated people will be once again allowed in all the spaces where the card is currently required. In those spaces, the topic of vaccination might be best relegated to the social realm of politics and religion sa国际传媒� itsa国际传媒檚 not worth starting a bar fight over someonesa国际传媒檚 vaccination status.
As restrictions lift, your friends and family members who are disabled, immunocompromised or elderly will likely feel left behind. For them, itsa国际传媒檚 not a matter of comfort sa国际传媒� COVID is a matter of life and death. Find ways to continue spending time with them in a way that they feel is safe. Donsa国际传媒檛 make assumptions about what they need. Ask them what they need and respect their boundaries.
Whatever you choose to do, enjoy this period of relatively reduced COVID transmission because it wonsa国际传媒檛 last forever. We are very much still in a pandemic and cases are rising globally. The actions that we take today will have an impact on COVID infections sa国际传媒� and restrictions sa国际传媒� in the future.
Cole Schisler is a provincial reporter with Black Press Media.
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cole.schisler@bpdigital.ca
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