Stop shaming young people for recent COVID-19 outbreak, says TikTok star

Max Taylor has a message for fellow Nova Scotians stop shaming young people for the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

The 22-year-old TikTok star from Halifax, and recent mayoral candidate,said social media is full of people denouncing his age group for its part in the province's growing number of cases.

"Let's encourage testing of our young people, because the more we shame them, the less tests are going to get done," Taylor told CBC's Mainstreeton Thursday.

Premier Stephen McNeil and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang have said they'reconcerned that the 18-35 age group is spreading the virus through social interactions, largely by going tobars and restaurants at night in downtown Halifax.

McNeil has singled the age group out, saying it's like they're"living as if COVID doesn't exist."

"They are going out when they are feeling sick. They are going out in large groups and frankly different groups and are not distancing," the premier said during a news briefing last week.

Taylor doesn't think that kind of messaging helps.

"The more we shame, the less encouragement goes for them to get tested and so I think we just need to continue to give people support and say, 'Hey, go get tested,'" he said.

He said he doesn't condone large house parties but he wonders why McNeil is pointing the fingerat people who visited businesses that his government allowed to stay open until recent days.

New study looking at shame and stigma during pandemic

4 years ago

Duration 3:07

A researcher at Dalhousie University has launched a survey to study the problem of pandemic shaming and stigma. Colleen Jones reports.

"When it comes to the systems in place for young people to go out until 2a.m., the province put those out there and no one's talking about that. We're simply talking about the fact that young people went out," he said.

On Tuesday, the same day theprovince announced 37 new cases, bars and restaurants in the Halifax area were told to closetoin-person dining for the next two weeks.

This came after two off-campusDalhousie University students tested positivefor the virus over the weekend and ahouse party on Edward Street with about 60 peoplewas shut down by police.

A spokesperson for the province told CBC News that of the 118 cases reported in Novemberas of Tuesday, 85 were people between the age of 18 and35.

People waiting hours at rapid-testing sites

Rapid-testing sites aimed at asymptomaticyoung people have been established, the most recent on Morris Street in Halifax.

Taylor said he was at the rapid-testing sitethis week and it took a couple hours of standing in line before hereceived hisnegative test result.

"I think that it's also our responsibility to be out here and following the guidelines and getting tested to make sure that we're doing the most we can," Andrew Henteleffsaid as he waited in line with a few friends for his rapid COVID-19 test.

Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious disease specialist at Dalhousie University, is helping to run the new rapid-testing sites.

She said it appears most people getting tests are in the18-35 range,but there are also people who are younger and older.

She said the people showing up for testing are eager to do their part.

"I wasn't expecting the number of people who consistentlysaid, 'This is part of how Ifeel I'm doing my bit in COVID.'Wow, really, really impressive," she told CBC's Mainstreet.

COVID-19 stigma survey underway

A professor at Dalhousie University launched an online survey to collect stories from people in the province who've experienced shame and stigma related to the pandemic.

In the early stages of the pandemic, the people getting shamed were those who appeared to be of Asian descent, saidDr. Bob Huish.

"But since then, we've seen other groups come forward.People who are not from Nova Scotia, who are driving cars without Nova Scotia plates, as well as frontline workers in the pandemic," he said.

Now, young people are another group coming forward about their experiences with being shamed.

Huish said when people feel stigmatized, it can lead to mental health challenges and societal division.

"When people are meant to feel responsible or blamed for something as globally inclusive as a pandemic, all we're doing is creating further wedges," he said.