“I can’t anymore with this,” she says. “The devastation is unreal. I’m pushing back more. People will ask, ‘What other medical conditions did your husband have?’ Lew had a full physical just three weeks before he died. He had COVID.” She pauses. “I’m just tired. And I have a 10-year-old. And I want to be safe.”…

A few weeks ago, Julie was standing in line to check into a hotel for one of Camille’s softball games on the road. The man standing in front of her was berating the desk clerk for insisting he wear a mask.

Looking for an ally, he turned to Julie.

“My husband died of COVID,” she told him. “Don’t talk to me without wearing a mask.”