My 11-year-old son said one day after school: “I let out a little sneeze and my entire class all looked at me saying, ‘coronavirus…we’re all going to die’.”
What happened to “bless you”?
The overdramatic teens are not the only ones who react in that manner nowadays.
Even adults would react negatively and stigmatise anyone who might have the disease or might transmit it.
I don’t blame them as we are facing such challenging times. But perhaps, we should relook our attitude and stop the stigma.
Yes, just like many others, I too am guilty of avoiding areas where Covid-19 patients had gone, leaving businesses struggling to keep afloat.
In fact, I have stopped going out unless necessary because this third wave seems to be hitting closer to home.
Malls, gyms and other frequented places, even people I know and those in the community, are contracting the virus.
Getting infected is already a harrowing experience but the stigma which comes with it can be worse than the virus itself.
Even as I was writing this column, I received WhatsApp messages that certain people who allegedly had been diagnosed as positive, were heavily criticised for attending parties, and some well-known personalities lambasted for organising such parties.
While I agree that social gatherings should not be organised as we are grappling with the pandemic, I do not agree that we resort to calling them names or that such messages be circulated.
No one wants to be infected and I believe no one wants to infect others.
In fact, many Covid-19 patients are asymptomatic and probably do not know they have the virus until days later.
Creating a stigma would only cause a bigger problem as it may deter those who had come in contact with the patient to come forward for tests for fear of being shamed in case they too test positive.
While locations of those affected should be revealed for public good, it should be done professionally through official channels such as the Health Department or our State Disaster Management Committee, with follow-up action to instil public trust.
There should not be a culture of people circulating unverified information which can harm anyone or their family, whether they have the virus or not.
Our children are already losing out so much in their childhood. Social interaction and human touch in schools have now been narrowed down to Zoom or Google Meet.
Businesses are closing down, people are losing their jobs and many family members are kept apart due to isolation and border restrictions. In short, it has been a crappy year.
No doubt the coronavirus can be detrimental to health but it is not a death sentence.
It affects everyone in different ways. That it is an infectious invisible enemy, makes the situation a whole lot scarier.
With no vaccine available yet, facing the unknown is never easy but everyone has the responsibility to overcome this.
And stigmatising Covid-19 patients or people who you think might have the virus is not going to help. Instead, let’s spread awareness, talk about it (not gossip) and stop blaming others (and yourself).
Stay at home, wash your hands, maintain physical distancing and wear a mask – it can help save lives.
Most of all, let’s stop stigmatising Covid-19 sufferers and be kinder to one another.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
