Over the last five years of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many people have experienced significant changes and ruptures to their personal relationships. People with Long COVID and people taking COVID-19 precautions have lost many friends as they are not able or willing to return to “pre-pandemic” b...
Key points you should know
It is very common for people with Long COVID and those taking COVID-19 precautions to experience grief over lost intimacy with friends. In a Sick Times survey of 2,586 people, 81% reported having lost friends over differences in COVID-19 precautions.
Disability studies scholars say there have always been people who were not able to risk going out in public, but COVID-19 is leading many more people to experience the ableism of our social world.
Being hurt by friends who do not take COVID-19 seriously has made many people afraid of the emotional risks of making new friends, leading to even more loneliness.
Making friends with other disabled people can be one powerful way of combating isolation. “Access intimacy” refers to the support that comes from having another person understand access needs on a deep, nonjudgmental level.
Letting go of friends that do not share values (around COVID-19 or other things) and focusing on specific relationships where COVID-19 practices are aligned can lead to overall better relationships. One way to do this is to join a local clean air collective or mask bloc.