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Why does it have to be anonymous? The coronavirus is not HIV, there is no social stigma in knowing someone was infected.

The biggest problem is exactly the fact that since it spreads so easily, it's impossible to reach all who have to been exposed




> Why does it have to be anonymous? The coronavirus is not HIV, there is no social stigma in knowing someone was infected.

Fear of contagion is strong and not always rational.

Healthcare workers in the UK have been attacked. Sometimes that was to get hold of their NHS ID badge, but at least once it was because the attacker didn't want covid-19 to be spread.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11347158/nurses-scrubs-superma...

https://abc13.com/nurse-attacked-as-man-accuses-her-of-tryin...

https://wwmt.com/news/coronavirus/nurse-attacked-on-her-way-...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-52151141


> Sometimes that was to get hold of their NHS ID badge

What's the point of that?


I don't know, but people think it's to get access to "key worker" shopping times.

Supermarkets over here are opening for an hour or so in the morning and leaving that hour for only key workers.

But I don't know if that's why.


Maybe you work in an American office with me, a mentally unstable individual. You were the first person to get sick in the office, everyone knows it. Now I'm sick and my family is sick. Maybe I take a severe financial hit or someone is my family gets really sick, perhaps even dies. Now I'm VERY upset with you. Maybe I follow you to your car after work... maybe I follow you home. Maybe to the store. Either way, there's a gun in my waistband and I stopped giving a fuck. You sure you want me knowing you were patient zero?


[flagged]


He’s providing a scenario to the parent question “why does it need to be anonymous.” It’s very plausible.


I understand that and I'm just providing a scenario for the implication.

Thats why we have severe punishment for murder, otherwise murder will happen a lot more.


> Thats why we have severe punishment for murder

Not a great comfort to the murdered person or their family, I'd venture.


the severe punishment to prevent the murder to happen in the first place.


Given the numbers, it would appear that deterrent generally doesn't stop people who are inclined to murder, though.


yes it would, if there is no deterrent, the number would go up way more.


I think they were speaking hypothetically?


I understand its hypothetical. I'm just following the logical implication of the hypothetical situation.


Unfortunately, when you add severe mental health disorders into the mix you can't really follow this "logical implication" path you seem so hellbent on. Add to that the fact that we as a society tend to not treat these problems as an unfortunate disease (but treatable), and put down this part of our population as if they weren't humans too doesn't help either.


Sure legal repercussion and severe punishment is not perfect, nothing is, but it does significantly lower risk of getting murdered.

And of course we should keep trying to attack and fix the mental health issue itself.


What is your point then? That people won't go after "patient 0" because there's legal repercussions? I think we all know that's naive


Yes, I too, like everyone else, have a trait that a many people would hate and if murder is legal, I would be dead already but I'm not so worry about it because fortunately murder is illegal and carry severe punishment. I understand its not perfect but at least significantly lower my concern.


Yes, people do fear situations like that, regardless of their actual prevalence. And that fear could prevent them from installing such an app.


My point is the fear is overblown.


It's anonymous, so nobody can learn your contact network as a side-effect of contact tracing. Your contact network much more valuable information than the fact that you have the virus.


even if covid status isn't sensitive, location & interpersonal associate data is sensitive


People have been best for having been associated with outbreak regions in China India and the US. People have been attacked for looking different like Muslims in India or Black's/Whites in China, Asian in Europe/Americas.


Being different has always cause issue but we should not fix by hiding it but we should fix it by other way be it changing perception or find sameness among the difference, etc.


When people actively avoid each other even for good reasons, no sure how we can argue there is no social stigma.


If there is social stigma then social stigma it is that need to be fixed, rather than hiding the fact itself.




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