Never before have lockdowns been used as a pandemic prevention measure. China, no stranger to human rights abuses, implemented a highly publicized lockdown in Wuhan. The WHO appeared impressed with that approach, despite a lack of supporting evidence, and recommended it to the rest of the world. Several countries subsequently used computer models predicting disastrous outcomes to justify temporary lockdowns to “flatten the curve” and protect hospitals from overwhelm.
After many months of sustained lockdowns throughout the world, we now have empirical evidence demonstrating that they are not only ineffective, but cause greater harm than they seek to prevent and increase mortality. Applying a cure that is worse than the disease is perhaps the worst manifestation of the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It seems therefore that the only way to avoid the mistakes of the COVID-19 management in the future is to avoid managing any future medical crisis by means of emergency powers. Emergency powers should be used only in case of war.” (Yanovskiy & Socol, 2021).