BOSTON — A Harvard infectious disease epidemiologist is encouraging people to think twice before shaming or blaming the behavior of others during the pandemic.
Dr. Julia Marcus, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, said a lot of the finger-pointing that’s happening is counterproductive to public health efforts.
Dr. Marcus said she understands that people may be feeling frustrated by the actions of others. However, she believes the calling out on social media and tense exchanges between people in public is perpetuating a stigma around COVID-19.
“On a daily basis, I see phrases like ‘selfish,’ ‘reckless,’ even things like ‘grandma killer,’” Dr. Marcus said. “What we end up doing is attaching those words to people who get COVID-19.”
Dr. Marcus said the stigma is fueling a pattern of people not telling the truth because they’re afraid of the criticism.
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“We’re seeing people who don’t want to disclose their behavior or an event they attended or even tell people they may have exposed to the virus,” explained Dr. Marcus. “The implication is when someone gets sick, the first thing they may think is, ‘wow, I clearly was irresponsible.’”
Dr. Marcus said it’s important to remember that everyone isn’t on the same playing field when it comes to avoiding risks.
“Now that we’re talking about households and staying with your household, we need to be conscious of the fact that some people live alone,” Dr. Marcus said. “We need to have some flexibility and understand that some people need to take some risks.”
Dr. Marcus emphasized that people should have all the information from public health officials to be conscious of higher-risk situations. She implored people to leave that up to the experts and try to refrain from meddling and seeking out confrontations with others.
“If someone is across the street and not wearing a mask, I would encourage people to let that go and focus your energy where it really matters,” Dr. Marcus said. “If somebody’s close to you and you cannot move away from them, you should absolutely say something but try to be as non-confrontational as possible.”
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