Sunday House Call, #743, June 14, 2020

At last it’s over. Or it seems that many truly want to believe this despite every world indicator that it is not so. Brazil is headed towards disaster, with 805,649 infected, 30,465 of which in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, the country is opening. Streets and buses are full.

Here, masks seem to be optional. Indoor spaces are treated no differently than outdoors despite clear evidence that the risk of contagion is greatest in enclosed spaces, duration of contact, and proximity to each other.

In the US, people are being mocked for wearing a mask as some continue to think that it is being worn to protect the wearer when it is to protect others from harm. A YouTube video shows an unmasked woman in a coffee shop hurling profanity at a masked woman because she is being called out for not wearing a mask. The unmasked woman deliberately walks over to her and forcefully coughs on her.  

Let’s be clear, most of this behaviour is not deliberate or malicious but we have been down this road many times in history with predictable consequences.

Joining me today is Dan Gardner, Keynote speaker, New York Times bestselling author (Risk/The Science of Fear, Future Babble, Superforecasting), and consultant (http://tactix.ca).

Your calls about public health measures during the pandemic.