by Jeffrey A. Tucker
The American Institute for Economic Research
Lockdowns or not? That’s been the primary question for social, economic, and political organizations for the past year. It’s a new question for humanity. Lockdowns were previously unconscionable and contrary to settle public-health practice. Suddenly, and for reasons never explained, that changed. Then everything changed.
[Note: the day I filed this article, the governor of Texas announced a complete repeal of all lockdowns, including mask mandates, curfews, capacity limits, and quarantines.]
Never before has such a globalized and comprehensive regime of closures, curfews, quarantines, travel restrictions, and surveillance been deployed for any excuse much less under the guise of virus control. A century of high-level public health practice never deployed anything like this, and that’s for a reason. No matter how bad the virus, such policies turn a challenge into a catastrophe.