See all tags

Government

How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
The nanny state position, or 'Let the state look after us'
The role of the state must adapt in times of crisis
UK Premier Boris Johnson is fully representative of this position. Having spent his career deriding state interference in personal affairs, the pandemic finally pushed him to introduce the lockdown. The driving idea here is that wherever you stand on the role of the state, during this extraordinary period of global uncertainty, it must assume control of its people to guide us safely forward. Proponents include UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma.
Explore argument
How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
The nanny state position, or 'Let the state look after us'
Give the healthy their independence back
The success of Wuhan's reopening is widely seen as down to their large-scale screening programme. Given the scant and unreliable reports of reinfection, many argue those not at risk should be given 'health passports'. These would allow the gradual reopening of society to those deemed safe by the government. This group believe that it is not right to deny freedom where the individual poses no harm to themselves or others. Proponents include the pharmaceutical lobby, with UK biometrics firm Onfido and Swiss drugmaker Roche already submitting patents for their design.
Explore argument
How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
The nanny state position, or 'Let the state look after us'
The state should end lockdown in phases
Advice from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Business says there is only one way to minimise deaths in the reopening of the country: in phases based on individual vulnerability. The government must decide which groups are immune to the disease and phase normality back.
Explore argument
How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
Test, trace, isolate, protect
Contact tracing apps can potentially help individuals monitor their risk of exposure and transmission
Many large technology companies are developing apps that can track COVID-19 infections. They can warn individuals when they have been exposed to the disease and they can even mention places to avoid. Such a technological solution could potentially help defeat the virus.
Explore argument
How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
The libertarian position, or 'End lockdown now!'
The government cannot be trusted
With conflicting information spouted from country to country and leader to leader, it is impossible to trust anyone claiming authority on the subject.
Explore argument
How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
The libertarian position, or 'End lockdown now!'
Most people have already had the virus
According to Oxford epidemiologists Sunetra Gupta, 68% of the UK population have already been infected with the virus and are therefore immune. In this case, the lockdown is doing unnecessary harm to our economy and our lives.
Explore argument
How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
The libertarian position, or 'End lockdown now!'
The pandemic will kill, lockdown or no lockdown
The coronavirus model to come out of Carnegie Mellon predicts that regardless of lockdown, the virus will create panic and kill huge numbers. Professor Wesley Pegden's model shows that unless large numbers of people are exposed at one time, lifting measures will cause the same harm as keeping them in place. In which case, why not end lockdown now?
Explore argument
How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
The nanny state position, or 'Let the state look after us'
We should relax the lines between the public and the private
South Korea has managed to control the virus by disseminating a phone app alerting citizens when they have passed someone infectious. Handing personal information and disclosing one's movements to the government may be the most effective solution. Proponents include Chair of the WHO Dale Fisher and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Explore argument
How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
The authoritarian position, or 'Do not lift lockdown!'
We must trust Neil Ferguson's model
The implications of Neil Ferguson's model are clear: lockdown or death on a catastrophic scale. It was Ferguson's forecasting of up to 500,000 UK deaths which resulted in lockdown. If this is the most accurate model we have, it is imperative that we trust it to guide us.
Explore argument
How do we think about the UK lockdown debate?
Test, trace, isolate, protect
More public health jobs would be created in the UK
The contact tracing strategy would be entirely reliant on public health workers and contact tracers. People can be easily and quickly trained to fill these positions. They would not only offer valuable advice to the public but also reduce the number of hospitalizations and help the economy rebound.
Explore argument
This page was last edited on Monday, 26 Oct 2020 at 14:46 UTC