That One Friend Who Doesn’t Believe About The Virus And Who Got Covid

This is one of those stories where you start off with, "we've all got that one friend".

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I have a friend of mine and together we meet with folks weekly. Everyday people. It's a community thing. I don't want to go into specifics to protect that person and so on.

But I have to tell this story.

At this community thing we do, it had gotten shut down because of Covid-19.  As people started to get the vaccine and restrictions started to get lifted, our community event center opened back up. With pretty strict restrictions and mandates in place. You had to sign in for contact tracing and masks were required for entry and while you were in the building.

Then the mask mandates got lifted. And the updated CDC recommendations were put in place.

We've all seen the signs afterwards that were put in place right?

If you're vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask. If you're unvaccinated, please wear a mask.

We started getting more comfortable in our community meeting setting and we came to an agreement about people being vaccinated. Since we all were, we wouldn't require it for our meetings and folks were generally happy. We also said if one person wasn't happy or ok with how we were proceeding, we'd go back to masks.

My one friend, is that ONE friend.

A couple of days and then a week went by, and I started to notice my friend was missing. I texted and he hit me back. He had gotten Covid-19 and he was isolating. He described the symptoms and so on. I told him I felt bad and how terrible it must be to have gotten the vaccine and then still get Covid.  But hey at least it wasn't as severe right?

Silence. Crickets chirping.

Bruh you still there? Did I lose you?

Then, I figured it out. And I asked him.

Did you get vacccinated?

His answer? Nope.

Now here he was sick and coughing and wheezing. And mind you he wasn't on his deathbed but he had tested positive for Covid and the respiratory effects were pretty noticeable.

What I was truly upset at was not that he hadn't got the shot.

I was upset that after all the restrictions had been lifted, we were all meeting in person again.

We had all taken our masks off and asked around the room if everyone was ok and vaccinated, he had said yes or indicated yes. He proceeded to be in a room full of people who were vaccinated and mask less. On repeated occasions.

When I asked him why, he proceeded to tell me that he felt the whole thing was a sham and he didn't believe it (the virus) or trust the government. And when you're getting people to sign up to get the shot with the chance to win a lottery, that was sketchy.

You don't trust the government. But you had a room full of people trust you to tell the truth and not put their lives in danger?

He also responded that he thought the mask mandate was gone and that requirement for vaccinated and unvaccinated was only for restaurants and voluntary.

Pretty much everywhere I go, you see the signs that tell you vaccinated = mask off & unvaccinated = mask on.

This is not complicated. This is not political. This is not based on whether or not you believe or accept the truth and scientific fact.

This time it was about being honest and following the rules on the door before you enter the building.

You didn't.

You lied.

Now, you're unvaccinated and you've tested positive for Covid.

And you put people's lives at risk.

You don't trust and believe the government, the science, and the virus.

I believe the numbers are on the rise again.

You are unvaccinated, just got Covid, and lied by omission about your status.

I won't trust or believe you anymore.