The Covid Scale

Nearly a year into the global pandemic, life has settled into a new normal. Human behavior has been altered in a fundamental way due to coronavirus. In many ways, the pandemic has exposed systemic problems within the fabric of society. Underlying neuroses have arisen from their depths and people’s true personalities have emerged. As with other psychological and societal issues, things are not black or white, but rather lie on a spectrum. Covid-19 is no different. People’s behavior and personalities lie on a spectrum when it comes to life during a pandemic. Their reactions to the pandemic are not all equal. The following categorization is a linear scale on which people lie with respect to their reactions to the pandemic.

0–5%

The less dangerous of the two extreme points are in this category. These are people who border on agoraphobia and become hermits. They do not come into contact with anyone or anything and shelter in place. They order everything online and sanitize the packages. They take lockdowns more seriously than guidelines suggest. While this may not be psychologically healthy in the long run, people in this range may be “hermitting” due to underlying conditions such as being immunocompromised (e.g. autoimmune disease, cancer patients, elderly, etc). They may also be caring for immunocompromised relatives and do not wish to put them at risk. An extreme point within 0–5%ers, are those who are NOT immunocompromised nor caring for relatives who are. This may be a sign of certain phobias or paranoia which may have been dormant prior to the pandemic. Whatever the case maybe with 0%ers, they are most in need of support. Humans are by nature social creatures and while 0%ers do not pose a danger to others, they may pose a danger to themselves as it has been proven that loneliness has a detrimental effect on health. If you know someone in this camp, reach out by telephone and provide support by listening and comforting them.

5–15%

This range is not quite as draconian but extreme caution is exercised. Multiple pieces of PPE are worn. Only essential activities such as food shopping are performed. Little to no physical social interaction occurs; a more extreme version of social distancing. These people remain mostly sheltered in place. Most of their social interaction occurs over video (Zoom/Facetime). Similar to 0%ers, this range requires support as it is very susceptible to psychological distress which may include depression and addiction to drugs and alcohol, sometimes leading to suicide.

15–30%

This range is slightly more open to routine living. They may have some limited engagement with very close relatives. They are very cautious, observing guidelines but choose their activities very carefully. This range may or may not have reason to worry, but remain very cautious. They may choose to have a small pod with which they interact but only on a limited basis.

30–50%

This range is where people are cautiously living their lives. They may be going to outdoor events and restaurants, though they wear masks, wash their hands, and observe social distancing. They choose not to travel out of their immediate 30-mile (50-kilometer) radius. Certain activities like frequenting indoor dining and movie theaters are still avoided for the most part. People in this category wear masks all the time outside, including while exercising. They generally do not frequent high risk indoor areas such as indoor dining, gymnasiums, bars, or theaters.

50–85%

This range is quite a bit more open, yet still cautious, observing guidelines regarding wearing masks, washing their hands, and social distancing. People in this range travel outside their immediate 30-mile (50-kilometer) radius, whether by car, public transit, or airplane. They partake in indoor activities such as dining and exercising in gymnasiums as well as frequenting movie theaters. People further up the scale may choose not to wear masks outside or while exercising. In this range, most activities of the pre-pandemic world occur, but with safety precautions in place.

85–99%
The general lack of care is a defining characteristic in this range. This range is where “Covid-Snapping” occurs. By now it is well documented that the pandemic has incurred a heavy toll upon the psyche of society. As President Trump, correctly, but less eloquently stated, people are sick and tired of Covid. Covid snapping occurs when a person outbursts due to the stresses of the pandemic. This may occur verbally, physically, or mentally. Some examples include the fights and arguments over wearing masks and socially distancing. Other examples may include ending of friendships and relationships.

In this range people tend not to abide by safety protocols and engage in almost all of their pre-pandemic behaviors and activities with reckless abandon. Social distancing is not observed. Attending large events where social distancing is impossible occurs in this range. People in this category attend large parties and packed bars such as on American college campuses or the bars of Liverpool. Maskless outdoor events such as what occurred in the Rose Garden and at political rallies put everyone in this range at risk.

This is a very risky range as it has been proven that masks and PPE and socially distancing protect everyone. It is also risky as other underlying psychological issues such as angry outbursts occur which lead to verbal or physical attacks.

100%

Of the two extremes in the Covid scale, this one is the least healthy and potentially very dangerous. People in this category are those who do not believe in the stark realities of the effects of the coronavirus. They do not wear masks, do not socially distance, and carry on with their lives as they did before without any care for themselves or others. In extreme cases, the 100%ers ascribe to conspiracy theories which espouse fallacies such as the virus not being real despite rampant proof. Due to the lack of belief in the reality of the virus, they tend to spread misinformation via social media.

In many respects, the 100%ers are the most dangerous on the scale as they put not only themselves at risk, but also others they come into contact with, whether physically or digitally. Furthermore, due to the complete lack of care or compassion, they may wind up taking up valuable ICU bed space for those who took precautions, yet still contracted coronavirus.

100%ers require support in the form of education. The lack of phobia constitutes a lack of risk management. Perhaps 100%ers haven’t had any exposure to frontline workers that will tell you how real the virus truly is. If you know anyone in this camp, make sure to provide support by educating them. It is for the good of the whole that 100%ers know how risky their behavior and attitude is.

Some Caveats — Talking the Talk or Walking the Walk

There is one caveat to the scale. No matter where you think you are on the Covid scale, there is a difference between words and actions. In other words, do you just talk the talk or do you walk the walk? For example, many people say they will go hiking or go on a picnic, but when it comes time to finally meeting up they make up an excuse. This can shift where people are on the scale and make things murky. It may cause confusion among friends and relatives.

It can also make or break friendships. As mentioned earlier, the pandemic has exposed a lot of underlying problems in society. One such underlying issue may be exposing which people are flakes and which ones are true friends. It can expose who is honest and direct and who flakes and lies. Knowing where someone is on the scale is difficult. But honesty and directness can make a friendship more robust.

Where I Lie on the Covid Scale

I would say I’m a solid 65%er. I learned my lesson a few years ago when I caught E Coli, so the pandemic hasn’t really affected my personal hygiene to any considerable degree. Every time I arrive anywhere, whether home or a restaurant, I immediately wash my hands before doing anything else, a habit left over from my experience with E Coli. I generally don’t wear a mask outside nor while running although I make an effort to not linger around anyone else for too long and respect personal space up to 6 feet. I wear a mask indoors and generally try to socially distance within stores.

I have returned to the gym; a welcome and much needed return. I even returned to indoor climbing. One activity of which I am fearful is swimming in public pools. Despite chlorination, I feel some trepidation being around other maskless people in an environment that is generally highly conducive to spreading other diseases. I will say that lifting weights and climbing while wearing mask is not very difficult. Although, I’ll admit that rowing on an erg and running on a treadmill is considerably more difficult while wearing a mask. The experience is quite close to exercising at an altitude of around 8,000 to 10,000 feet, depending on one’s level of exertion. As a lover of high altitude training, I don’t mind wearing a mask while doing cardio indoors.

This summer I traveled by airplane to Colorado to hike and camp. While on the plane, I wore a mask and washed and sanitized my hands with soap and alcohol. Surprisingly, everyone I encountered in Colorado abided by the state’s mask guideline, much more so than in the Northeast. I was very impressed with how Coloradoans have comported themselves in this regard.

I also supported the film industry by going to the movies twice, one of my favorite pre-pandemic activities. I plan to continue to frequent the movies, however, in a more cautious manner. I won’t take off my mask in the theater and I will wear gloves. Many compliments to Christopher Nolan on his masterpiece, Tenet.

I have a consistent pod of people I normally hang around but I do make an effort to meet new people. Dating has certainly been a challenge and it is what prompted constructing this scale and writing this piece. I noticed that most people don’t want to be alone and are making an effort to get out there to date, but all in their own ways. Daters seem to be around the 40% to 95% range from my observations and anecdotes. The key challenge with dating during Covid is both people aligning on the Covid scale. But aligning values is part of dating, Covid just adds another alignment factor.

Where on the Covid Scale Are You?

I hope this was a useful guide to understanding social interactions during the pandemic. Leave a like and a comment and tell me where on the scale you are! Please also share this with others so that the scale catches on.

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