COVID-19: reducing stigma

The COVID-19 pandemic can cause stress on people and communities. It can lead to individuals experiencing social stigma, exclusion, marginalization, mental health issues and discrimination.

Lack of understanding about COVID-19 has sparked feelings of fear or anger towards others and unfair treatment against a number of groups, including:

Stigma and discrimination are known barriers that prevent people from getting tested or accessing the care, treatment and support they need.

People who have experienced stigma and discrimination throughout their life (such as, racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, people with mental illness or disability, members of 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities) may not have access to protective resources during a pandemic, like a safe home to isolate or quarantine when ill, which may introduce additional challenges.

Stigma and discrimination can be dangerous and harmful to individuals and communities by:

We can all do our part to reduce stigma around COVID-19

Even people without symptoms can test positive for COVID-19. This includes people who have not yet developed symptoms (pre-symptomatic) and may never develop symptoms (asymptomatic). That is why it is important to:

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