The COVID-19 pandemic has achieved another grim milestone with the global number of coronavirus cases exceeding 50 million. US data is troubling, while trends in Europe are flat-out alarming. The new wave of infection worldwide has followed relaxation of lockdowns on restaurants, bars and other gathering spots along with the natural inclination to move indoors as colder weather arrives. Fortunately, fatalities are not fully tracking the rise in new cases. But governments want to get ahead of the curve before it worsens with further lockdowns and tightening restrictions that were eased just months ago. Amid widely disparate commentary from health professionals, Dr Anthony Fauci, one of the US’s top infectious disease doctors, has argued that national lockdowns are not the optimal way to combat the disease. Instead, he argues that citizens should maintain proven public-health measures such as masking and social distancing “to help us safely get to where we want to go.” With the devastating effect lockdowns have had on the economy, we could
not agree more.