A new working paper by network member Dirk Niepelt, University of Bern and Director of the Study Center Gerzensee, joint with Martin Gonzalez-Eiras University of Copenhagen characterises optimal lockdown policies.

In a new working paper, network member Flavio Toxvaerd together with Miltiadis Makris consider the equilibrium and socially optimal amount of social distancing when pharmaceutical innovations such as vaccines and treatments are on the horizon.

Network member prof. Tom Britton, together with colleagues Pieter Trapman and Frank Ball, investigate in a new study the risk for a new epidemic wave and its doubling time, and how they depend on R0, current immunity level and the overall effect of the current preventive measures.

Although face masks reduce the chance of transmission of coronavirus, some governments have been reluctant to make their use mandatory in public places. People’s behaviour is likely to change when wearing masks, but will the risk of infections rise or fall?

Debraj Ray (NYU) and Sreenivasan Subramanian (Chennai, India) write a very powerful critique of India's COVID-19 lockdown policy, that rings true much more broadly. Lockdowns and social distancing can at best slow down the progression of the pandemic, and that at a cost. Medical and economic resources need to be created and mobilised to face the longer-run and deeper issues originating from the crisis, and not many governments are working in this direction.

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