Pandemic shaming can backfire—here’s a better way

Enlarge (credit: Nopphon Pattanasri / EyeEm)

With the holiday season continuing and the spread of COVID-19 widely expected to worsen, many of us face the same gut-wrenching decision: to gather or not to gather? Do we take comfort in familiar rituals with family and friends—or should we limit celebrations to the relative isolation of our COVID-19 bubbles?

During a pandemic that has already claimed more than 1.4 million lives worldwide, the safest strategy, unquestionably, is to abstain from festivities with those outside of our immediate households. But not everyone values safety more than social connection—and public shaming and blanket demands for abstinence can backfire. How, then, can we balance our security and sanity, to ensure that we save as many lives as possible?

A concept developed by and for people who inject drugs can help.