his should really be common knowledge, but since governments still prioritize profits over people and people still boycott mask wearing, here’s what needs to be said:
When we travel unprotected, #covid_19 travels. And where #covid travels, variants travel. And where variants travel, new mutations thrive, and death, mass disability, returning lockdowns, and deep traumas and pains pile high.
And all because privilege makes them falsely believe that just because they ‘can’, they ‘should’, despite (still) not grasping that while yes we can do a lot of things...it doesn’t mean that we should do ‘the things’.
The vaccine? Not about us personally: it’s about slowing the rate of spread and mutations.
Quarantine upon/after travel?
It’s about others not dying or suffering lasting organ damage (and associated work/life/financial hardships) due to actions or inactions.
And this applies strictly to the many “#selfcare” vacations occurring.
For those, maybe stop for a second before booking such a trip during a pandemic to understand that your community-blind self-care can translate into devastation for the locals that you’re intending to visit, their health infrastructure (likely exhausted at this stage of the pandemic), and eventually your own self-destruction when your (and other’s like you) actions cause us to remain in a pandemic for longer.
Unvaccinated. Due to variants. Due to being a modern-day Columbus.
Why? Because the virus mutates in unvaccinated viral hosts stepping foot onto planes, and the unvaccinated locals that such colonialism has taken them to...should they have had the patience, empathy, respect and vision to understand that temporary wants (self-care international vacations) are no where near as important as permanent needs (life, not having organ damage).
So maybe pause to appreciate where you are instead of seeking reprieve at another’s expense?
*Yes the imagery looks war-like, but we are at war. Those traveling without consistent precautions help the adversary to win.
**This is about self-care travel to under-privileged countries. There are safe ways to travel and to locales equipped with stable health resources. This isn’t about that.