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LETTER: Social isolation causing more harm than good

Author: people with compromised immune systems be protected and others be allowed to work, socialize
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Email letters to editor@trailtimes.ca.

I feel that the actions taken by the government in response to the Covid-19 virus are causing more harm than good.

The social isolation that people are experiencing is having serious health consequences. Isolation leads to a deterioration of mental heath, drug addictions and suicides.

Our society faced widespread depression from social isolation and a lack of healthy social connection prior to the COVID outbreak. Our youth especially were experiencing this from overuse and addiction to cellphone use and a resulting breakdown of the ability to communicate face to face. The measures taken to deal with COVID have compounded these problems severely. Fear, persistent stress and loneliness induced by social distancing have a proven negative influence on psychological and general health.

The economic impact of the government’s actions are also far reaching. Numerous small family-owned businesses are now closed permanently while large businesses are increasing profits and market share.

There is a growing movement of censorship that is supported by our government in the name of protecting the public from “misinformation”. This is very dangerous as it infringes on our right to access information and decide for ourselves what is valid. It also aggravates a growing division and polarization in our society. Many people, including myself, have felt intimidated to speak out against the government’s measures. The one-sided narrative that the government and media have promoted have inhibited open debate.

The government and mainstream media’s narrative on the pandemic has been fear based and imbalanced. For example the relentless bombardment with death numbers, without comparing them to flu deaths in other years or deaths from other causes has induced a psychosis of fear in the public.

Our “front line” of defense against disease is our immune system which is strengthened by exercise, nutrition, social interaction and not living in a sterile environment. Our “last line” of defense is our health care system which we depend on when our immune systems have failed.

I recommend that those people with compromised immune systems be protected and supported and that those of us with healthy immune systems be allowed to work, travel, socialize and exercise unrestricted.

Dave Carter

Castlegar BC