An analysis of how things worked out in various countries with various rules. And of course various systems from extreme harsh lockdowns to virtually none at all – and everything in between. And the results are … mixed.
It's a long analysis.
Still, five years later, the harshness of lockdowns and their effects on millions if not billions of people has become clearer. Even some researchers who have found evidence that lockdowns saved lives have cautioned against turning to this measure in haste in the future. The longer-term effects on children, education and economies are still playing out and will likely not be fully understood for many years to come.
Whatever governments decide to do, having a plan that they communicate in advance of any new pandemic will likely improve public acceptance of and adherence to any strict mitigations, says Grout. "It needs to be super clear." That means everyone could know ahead of time what circumstances would trigger a lockdown.
In Gothenburg, Mc Manus remembers the debates she once had with her fellow Swedes over whether her country was doing the right thing in 2020. And how some people seemed cavalier or uninterested in observing social distancing guidelines at the time.
"You don't even talk about it anymore," she says, "Thinking back, I feel like, as a society, did we really learn anything from this?"
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