Author: TheConversation

By Ryan Malosh, Assistant Research Scientist, University of Michigan Now that states are relaxing social distancing restrictions, people desperately want to see friends and family, go to a restaurant, and let our kids have play dates. Even grocery shopping sounds fun. But how can you do that and still stay safe? An epidemiologist who is immune-compromised himself, I can walk you through some decision making. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has finally released new guidelines for businesses, bars and schools that are considering reopening. Although following these guidelines should help, it is frustrating there hasn’t been...

By Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon With states reopening – or planning to reopen – in the coming weeks and months, you may be worried about what returning to work will mean for you and your family, particularly if it means increased exposure to COVID-19. As a professor specializing in employment law, I do not have a lot of reassurance to offer. Employment law is a patchwork at the best of times – let alone during a global pandemic – and legal protections may not cover your situation. Like so many of the challenges...

By Jeremy Howard, Distinguished Research Scientist, University of San Francisco In late March, I decided to use public mask-wearing as a case study to show my students how to combine and analyze diverse types of data and evidence. Much to my surprise, I discovered that the evidence for wearing masks in public was very strong. It appeared that universal mask-wearing could be one of the most important tools in tackling the spread of COVID-19. Yet the people around me were not wearing masks and health organizations in the U.S. were not recommending their use. Along with 18 other experts...

By Paul F. Clark, School Director and Professor of Labor and Employment Relations, Pennsylvania State University The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the degree to which we depend on the work of others. This is particularly true of essential workers like truck drivers, grocery store employees and hospital nurses who are ensuring the rest of us stay safe and are able to get the supplies, food and health care we need. The pandemic has also drawn attention to the fact that these workers, like all Americans, do not receive many of the basic workplace benefits and protections – like paid...

By Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University When the novel coronavirus roared into the U.S., mental health took a back seat to physical health. The number one priority was making sure hospitals wouldn’t be overwhelmed and that as many lives as possible could be saved. Schools closed, remote work became the norm, restaurants shuttered and getting together with friends was no longer possible. The news cycle spun with story after story highlighting the ever-increasing number of cases and deaths, while unemployment soared to levels not seen since the Great Depression. Any one of these shifts could...

By Bruce Y. Lee, Professor of Health Policy and Management, City University of New York As states push to reopen businesses, arguing their economies are losing too much money under current coronavirus precautions, they can’t ignore the other side of the economic equation – the one involving human lives and potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in medical costs. More than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases are still being reported in the U.S. every day, and the coronavirus that causes it is still spreading. If the U.S. reopens its economy prematurely and COVID-19 cases surge again, medical expenses will surge,...