Do You Think It's Worth Doing?

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The term lockdown means different things. In Virginia, where I am, back when Governor Ralph Northam announced his first extreme measure, it was called a stay at home order. What I oppose most is the rejection in 2020 of the standard public health guidelines for respiratory pathogen such as this one. There's no question about or people with severe comorbidities. That doesn't seem like the worst idea.

Economist Don Boudreaux of George Mason University talks about the pandemic with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Boudreaux argues that a perfect storm of factors created a huge overreaction, including unnecessary lockdowns that accomplished little at a very high cost in physical and emotional health. Instead, Boudreaux argues, we should have focused attention on the population most at risk of dying from COVID--the elderly and especially the elderly with co-morbidities. The conversation includes a discussion of externalities and the insights of Ronald Coase applied to the policies during the pandemic.