Lawmakers are racing to finish before adjourning later this month.Ĭommunicating a plan and timeline to the public about how states will distribute a COVID-19 vaccine and steps to returning to some semblance of normal life could also reinvigorate public vigilance, says Scarpino. What has proven effective is educating the public and providing them with the resources they’ll need to comply-a federal stimulus, for example, would allow some people to stay home from work, he says.Ĭongress is currently debating a $908 billion measure to provide an economic lifeline to small businesses and the unemployed, but no deal has been struck yet. A top-down approach won’t work again, says Scarpino. That’s why this time, public officials will need to do more to enforce compliance with the regulations. They’re frequenting bars again, attending family parties, and returning to offices and classrooms-all while skipping masking and social distancing protocols. Rising cases have tended to coincide with an increase in “pandemic fatigue.” With no end in sight, people are less motivated about following recommended public health measures to protect themselves and others from the virus. “Lockdowns have to go into place to save lives.”īut those measures might be met with more resistance from the public this time around. “Most places in the United States are past the point where anything besides a lockdown is going to be effective,” says Scarpino, who heads the Emergent Epidemics Lab at Northeastern. The restrictions resemble those established in March when California was one of the first states to enact strict measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak. 5 as burgeoning cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals in the country’s most populous state. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern Universityīut he says states and the federal government will need to provide better messaging and support to help people make it through a second shutdown.Ĭalifornia’s restrictions, which include a ban on indoor and outdoor dining, and closure of recreational facilities and hair salons and barbershops, were enacted Dec. Samuel Scarpino, assistant professor in Northeastern’s Network Science Institute.
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