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Elemental is a former publication from Medium for science-backed health and wellness coverage. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

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How to Snap Your Parents Out of Their Coronavirus Denial

7 min readMar 13, 2020

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Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

“Don’t you dare,” I found myself saying, my voice escalating. “Do you know how worried we are? You listen to me, do you understand?”

I was not speaking with my rebellious teen, or any child, for that matter. I was, in fact, chastising my mother, a 76-year-old grown adult who seemingly refused to adhere to health officials’ orders: Older adults are the most vulnerable to Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and should therefore “stay at home as much as possible.”

Instead, she was making plans to gather her siblings and relatives for a family get-together at a restaurant. All I could envision were germ-infused grandchildren hugging her body or my cousins spreading whatever they picked up on buses and trains.

I was furious. But more than that, utterly frustrated that I wasn’t near her and therefore unable to shackle her to the living room couch.

“Don’t worry so much,” my mom said. “Relax. I can go here and there.”

This drove me into a state of rage. It’s as if we were living in two realities: one in which Covid-19 was shutting down entire

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Elemental
Elemental

Published in Elemental

Elemental is a former publication from Medium for science-backed health and wellness coverage. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

Rina Raphael
Rina Raphael

Written by Rina Raphael

Journalist :: health, wellness, tech / Well To Do wellness industry newsletter at welltodo.substack.com