This document is related to the ##covid-19 channel on freenode, which is bridged with the Matrix room #covid-19:matrix.org. You can access it from either network, although things won't look exactly the same.
We welcome discussion of scientific and medical matters around COVID-19, as well as the actual state of the situation around the world. We can provide information and perhaps some advice, although we definitely cannot provide medical advice. If you just need a bit of emotional support, that's fine too.
Politics are inextricable from the COVID-19 situation around the world, so politics directly related to COVID-19 and epidemics can be discussed, provided it doesn't degenerate into namecalling (of politicians or people you're talking to) or monopolize the discussion with endless "us" vs "them" debates. Try to keep it about policies more than politics and politicians.
If you don't believe that lockdowns are useful, or that masks are useful, or that various interventions are a good idea, feel free to discuss it. If you don't believe that COVID is an issue or even that it is "real", and you are only joining to mock people for worrying and taking action, then I encourage you to leave us alone: we are already in enough distress as it is, whether or not you feel it's justified.
Ultimately, people should feel better by being around the rest of us, not worse. This is tricky to obtain, because it's a topic that makes people stressed. If at any point you feel it becomes too much for you, just walk away for a bit: we don't want anyone to lie and say things about the epidemics that aren't true just to make someone feel better, so if you are finding a discussion too worrisome, again, do walk away from it. Hopefully the channel can also provide opportunities to feel more informed, more in control to the extent it's possible, and less stressed and anxious about events; every person talking should try to keep this in mind, even though it can be hard.