There are two ways to do COVID safety.
One is Zero COVID; this is NOT the approach many of the COVID-cautious are taking. Instead, there are many whose behavior is better characterized as self-preserving.
Zero COVID means safety for all people, in all places. This means fighting for people who, YES, hate you, disagree with you, who don’t deserve it, and who are definitely not doing the best they can. This also means being open to criticism and dialogue about your own behaviors.
Nobody is perfect, and nobody is saying COVID safety is easy or ideal, but if you make risky choices and advertise them to COVID-cautious communities, you’ve signed up to be held accountable by cautious people who feel your behavior is maligned with the mission–get rid of COVID. If you decide the best response is blocking, lashing out, belittling, or anything else besides saying “thank you” for the call-in, you are not Zero COVID, you are personally trying to avoid COVID. Those are not the same thing.

(Continue to next page for the alternative version of this sketch and additional comments specific to my credentialed peers in science and medicine)