This is even more dangerous in America with a president that many people view as divisive, and fringe groups such as the paramilitary Oath Keepers and QAnon.Ī QAnon follower holds a Q sign while waiting in line with others to enter a Trump rally on Aug. When physicians and scientists sign on to the declaration they support the fears of an increasingly anxious public and fuel conspiracy theories. The signatories did not intend to support such fringe groups, but their rhetoric invalidates public health policy and feeds the 19 per cent of North Americans who don’t trust public health officials. The Barrington declaration gives oxygen to fringe groups. This is true in Ontario where, after the first COVID-19 peak, the province reopened in three stages, guided by epidemiology.Ģ. Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in health law and policy, notes that it’s not a binary choice between the Barrington perspective and full lockdown, and that governments are striving to balance public health with economic recovery. Across Canada, schools, daycares and businesses are open and we are providing health care for patients who suffer from non-COVID-19 diseases. The declaration rhetoric offers a false choice between a wholesale return to our pre-pandemic lives (which is objectively dangerous) versus a total lockdown (which no one advocates). The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity, is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk.” The 5 flawsġ. “Those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal. The declaration begins with the false premise that governments intend to lock down society, and cherry-picks facts (for example, that COVID-19 infections are mild in healthy people). This declaration, signed by 12,000 people, is sponsored by the American Institute for Economic Research, a libertarian think-tank. The declaration takes its name from Great Barrington, a Massachusetts resort town. One such cognogen, the Great Barrington Declaration, is causing harm. Infectious bad ideas called cognogens readily spread in our stressed pandemic environment. Unfortunately, reckless messaging by some doctors and scientists is feeding mistrust of public health policies. We have never been in more need of coherent and consistent messaging from the medical professionals, scientists, public health agencies and the government. Even harder to weather are the intermittent closures of businesses and schools in response to local pandemic spikes. These measures can control case spread but, let’s face it, they are no fun. Public buy-in is essential for long-term adherence to effective public health measures such as wearing masks in indoor spaces, hand washing, maintaining physical distancing and staying home when sick. Good science and sound public health policy are needed to guide us through a pandemic that will likely continue throughout 2021.
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