It has been over 3 months since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
Lockdowns were issued and the public was told at first to stay home and only go out for essentials, to maintain physical distancing whenever possible, to wash hands for 20 seconds with soap and water, and not avoid mingling with people outside our households. This was followed by a rule to wear a face mask when going out.
Ontario has allowed parts of the province, including Ottawa to enter Stage 2 of reopening. Shopping malls are open again. However, health officials continue to urge the public to be careful.
After 3 months, a global emergency can start to feel less like an emergency and more like daily life. This is what experts call “quarantine fatigue” or “caution fatigue”. The vigilance and urgency of the early days of the pandemic start to fade and you relax into old habits.
Avoid shaming others
Shaming people for not follow the rule may work in the immediate moment, but not in the long run. Shaming will not change behavior. It might change a person’s actions for a moment as they are acting to lessen their shame but it will not fundamentally change the issue.
With all the changes to our daily lifestyles, it can be easy to make mistakes when we had been so used to a pre-pandemic world. It is best to be compassionate and understanding of people’s situations.
Avoid “doomscrolling”
Another factor that can add up to pandemic fatigue is overloading yourself with information. This is called “doomscrolling” which is the practice of constantly scrolling social media feeds and taking in too much information, especially bad news.
It is important to limit the intake of bad news. Try to be aware, alert, and responsible, but do not overwhelm yourself with the same bad news repeatedly.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to stay safe by enrolling in a mask fitting test which is a requirement for many workplaces and school admissions or check the available masks for sale by visiting our face mask sale page.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/types-of-face-mask
https://www.livescience.com/are-face-masks-effective-reducing-coronavirus-spread.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/cloth-face-coverings-information.pdf