Policies for discussions of COVID-19

When discussing COVID-19, to keep all of our members safe and comfortable, and to protect the integrity of the conversation, we will continue to enforce the rules we put in place during our first session (see below). We will have a no-tolerance policy for these rules and thankfully have not had to use them. We will give one warning and then will ask you to leave the session if you will not comply. We are not equipped to answer the questions about science or conspiracies, and therefore must ask that they are left at the door.

What this video support session is NOT:

• A debate about the science;
• A political discussion;
• A conversation about conspiracy theories;
• Medical advice (beyond what is listed as criteria to call your doctor).

What we hope this video support session will be:

• A safe space to voice your fears among similarly situated people who understand;
• A place to get ideas for staying sane while practicing social distancing, isolation, or quarantine;
• A chance to get ideas for staying safe if you must continue participating in the outside world;
• An opportunity to see that you are not alone.

Session Privacy, Trust, and Behavior

To keep everyone feeling safe, here is a list of our general, but important, policies.

• Anything shared in the video support group session stays there! Just as in our closed online support groups, we trust that you will follow this strict rule. No sharing of private discussions outside of the video support session.
• When sharing, we ask you to be mindful of time.
• We will not debate or discuss politics or religion.
• Anything shared should be audience-appropriate. We will not tolerate foul language, hate speech, bullying, inappropriate comments or jokes, or the promotion of any outside services, products, websites, or other online links that are not related to our discussions.

The views and opinions of session Hosts, Co-hosts, and Volunteers are not that of Myositis Support and Understanding (MSU).