Without a need for massive government intervention in the form of lockdowns, vaccines, immigration controls, or contact tracing. In fact, there is no particular reason why people and institutions in a libertarian society would not be able to implement the common sense measures below in a bottom-up way.
- Cancel events with large crowds, especially indoor events (but keep beaches, parks, cities, playgrounds etc open).
- Avoid closed or poorly ventilated spaces where multiple people spend a prolonged period of time, especially when they are laughing, singing, shouting or talking.
- When it’s not possible to do #2 and #3, wear masks in those situations.
- Everybody should wear face masks in public transport & crowds. Everywhere else is up to people’s own discretion.
- Isolate infected patients from others: Create special, isolated facilities either within or outside of hospitals and nursing homes.
- Don’t send infected patients (back) to nursing homes.
- Quarantine carers with (non-infected) nursing home residents & pay >500% overtime.
- Quarantine & protect the vulnerable (the elderly, people with serious other illnesses), and provide them with all the services they need.
- Keep everything else open: Let the young and healthy live their lives.
- Promote spending time outdoors.
- When possible, move activities outdoors.
- Open windows.
- Install or fix ventilation systems.
- Create virus clinics and telemedicine so that suspected virus patients don’t have to go to doctors where they may infect others.
- Everybody who tests positive or is a suspected patient receives a pulse oximeter and a thermometer to continually monitor their oxygen levels and temperature.
- Order ample PPE supplies before the pandemic starts.
That’s it.
For many more suggestions (as well as references to academic research) for reopening the economy while limiting the damage Covid-19 is doing, see here. But if we implement the 16 measures mentioned above, most of these 58 measures are probably unnecessary.
