Two years ago, major American cities were segregated by vaccine status. Mask mandates delineated safe and unsafe. Signs told us to be separate from each other. We couldn’t even encounter each other during shopping thanks to one-way grocery aisles. We were not allowed to visit families or even attend funerals. Weddings were out of the question. There were even travel restrictions.

And today, the Department of Health and Human Services released a report sounding the alarm about the pandemic of loneliness.

While social connection had been declining for decades prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the onset of the pandemic, with its lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, was a critical time during which the issue of connection came to the forefront of public consciousness, raising awareness about this critical and ongoing public health concern.

Many of us felt lonely or isolated in a way we had never experienced before. We postponed or canceled meaningful life moments and celebrations like birthdays, graduations, and marriages. Children’s education shifted online—and they missed out on the many benefits of interacting with their friends. Many people lost jobs and homes. We were unable to visit our children, siblings, parents, or grandparents. Many lost loved ones. We experienced feelings of anxiety, stress, fear, sadness, grief, anger, and pain through the loss of these moments, rituals, celebrations, and relationships.

Oh thanks a lot HHS! As if this agency had nothing to do with causing this and they are just innocent bystanders. It’s not as if many people predicted exactly this.