Tag Archive

How to Emerge from Lockdown: Speed is Vital!

By Shlomo Maital

   Question: how does coronavirus resemble standup comedy?

   Answer: For both, timing is crucial.

As countries begin to emerge from lockdown (Denmark has opened its kindergartens, because 90% of families with children have both parents working), fears arise whether this is wise. One answer is, yes, but…   The diagram above shows how emergence can best be done. And everything, EVERYthing, depends on timing and speed —

• test for virus among those with symptoms, and some who are asymptomatic,

• get the results super-fast, within hours (this is possible with some tests),

• track those in contact with persons testing positive,

• lock down those with the virus, and

• do this again and again.

     All this depends on revising current testing procedures (some results have been lost, some take 6-8 days for results, far too long to be useful). Timing and speed are crucial. Why? Because, in the 6 days it takes now for results to be provided, the person potentially infected can infect many many other people, even unknowingly.

       Does your country have test results within minutes or even hours? There are such tests. We need millions of them.