Author Topic: Covid Culture (was Outbreak Culture)  (Read 106317 times)

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Offline BC_cheque

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Re: Covid Culture (was Outbreak Culture)
« Reply #1905 on: August 27, 2020, 10:51:38 pm »
During the AIDS epidemic, they discovered that criminal penalties didn't actually stop AIDS people from having sex, but it did drive everything underground.

Attempts to fine people who attended some reckless gathering, while well-intentioned, would do little to actually stop people from acting recklessly, but would do a lot to disincentivize testing and blow a hole in contact-tracing efforts.  Nobody is going to go get their nose swabbed or cooperate with contract tracing if doing so is going to get them fined or worse.

Law and order types have long believed the way to fight drug use is to crack down-- more penalties! Fines for possession! Throw them in jail!  It makes perfect sense, right?  Except, all the research shows that none of that stuff actually works.  Which is why our efforts to fight drug problems have moved away from attempting to punish drug users and instead towards counter-intuitive approaches. Decriminalization, legalization, education, safe injection sites, and harm reduction strategies. Not fines and jail time for users.

While I'm not sure exactly what harm-reduction strategies for socialization during the pandemic would look like, I do believe that attempts to "get tough!" and "crack down!" are doomed to fail just as they failed in combating drug use or the spread of AIDS.  One thing I believe has been talked about is changing (at least for the time being) laws regarding public alcohol use. If people are going to socialize, it would be preferable that they do it in well ventilated and spacious outdoor areas, not a crowded and poorly ventilated home or AirBnB or some other confined space they might find available.

 -k



So just to be clear, we opened businesses to make sure people can socialize in a regulated environment instead of going 'underground'.  We opened restaurants, allowed for parties up to 50 people, travel within the province, drinking outdoors and everything we possibly could, and while you have nothing to offer in terms of 'what' the solution is, you just know that enforcing the current rules won't work because... AIDS and drug use?!
« Last Edit: August 27, 2020, 10:53:13 pm by BC_cheque »
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