, Columnist
Post-Virus Reopening Is More About Ethics than Science
But scientists can give us the information we need to make an informed decision.
Times Square, empty except for hand-washing instructions.
Photographer: Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
There is no safe way to emerge from our collective shelter-in-place orders and restart the economy before an effective Covid-19 vaccine arrives — but there are smart, science-based ways to do it.
The question can’t be left entirely up to experts. It’s not a safety problem so much as an ethical one; many of us would accept a certain risk of death for the chance to return to a more fully lived life. But putting ourselves at risk means putting others at risk — and some are much more likely to die.