Editorial Staff

Time to follow the science, not fear

/in , , , , , /by Editorial Staff
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on
LinkedIn
+

With Governor Baker set to announce the details of his phase one re-opening plan, Pioneer Institute shares the following principles to frame state action on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Background

On March 15th, Governor Baker announced the closure of Massachusetts’ public schools. On March 23rd, he issued an advisory order for residents, and an emergency order to close nonessential businesses. At the time, our state and country faced unprecedented uncertainty. Many government actions were based less on science and more on reasonable and prudent defensive postures given the dearth of information about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Without reliable data on fatality and contagion rates, and long-term impact, we could not set parameters around risks. Absent such information, erring on the side of caution was justified. Given the rapid emergence of the virus, we understand that the initial phase of responses was necessarily messy.

Since then, state and local governments, business owners and employees, and the general public have behaved admirably. While there have been mistakes and missed opportunities, Massachusetts’ response has exhibited discipline and care for others, putting public safety above all. In 1798, John Adams noted in an address to the Massachusetts Militiamen that “our constitution was made only for a moral” people. On that score we have lived up to our founders’ hopes.

Over the past two months, we have all learned a great deal about COVID-19 and the efficacy of – and the new challenges created by – our policy responses. We have learned from the countries and states that were hit earliest.  We read obsessively about potential new cures, the relevance of masks and heightened hygienic practices, and related physical and mental health and economic impacts.

Because of the discipline of our people and increased knowledge, we understand the risks and opportunities ahead. As a result, Pioneer Institute believes it is time to move to a more thoughtful, science-based footing.

Principles for re-opening
The following are principles for state and local public policymakers to guide future state action on COVID-19:

1.     At a time of pandemic, reasonable accommodations to protect the public can be justifiable and do not necessarily contradict commitment to respect individual liberty.

2.     State governments are empowered to protect residents’ health and safety. Those powers, whenever possible, are meant to be applied on the basis of science and historical experience, not through the exercise of arbitrary power.

3.     Policymakers must clearly articulate science-based recommendations for personal covering, hygiene, social distancing, and actions needed to protect individuals with higher risk profiles but they must refrain from arbitrarily and subjectively defining what is and isn’t “essential.”

4.     Policymakers should provide guidance and educate residents but refrain from giving unwarranted or arbitrary orders. A more productive and effective approach is to leverage social norms and pressure to promote science-based, counter-pandemic behaviors.

5.     When governments get into the business of controlling aspects of residents’ lives, they lose focus on aspects of the fight against the pandemic that need most attention, like the state’s uneven efforts to protect the high-risk elderly population in long-term care facilities.

The following are principles related to private and public institutions that serve the public:

6.     Private institutions engaging in retail and direct service of customers have the right and moral duty to protect their employees and customers, and therefore must be able to deny service to individuals who do not practice social distancing and other pandemic health measures.

7.     Public institutions that accommodate customers in close quarters — e.g., the MBTA, swimming pools, beaches and parks, etc. —must have the power to require customers to adopt protective measures. That said, agencies managing public services and spaces must default to staying open for the mental health and well-being of residents.

The following are principles related to education:

8.     K-12 education is an essential service and a constitutionally protected right. Closing schools without a clear set of plans and actions to ensure the continuation of learning in our public schools violates students’ constitutional rights.

About Pioneer

Mission
Pioneer Institute develops and communicates dynamic ideas that advance prosperity and a vibrant civic life in Massachusetts and beyond.

Vision
Success for Pioneer is when the citizens of our state and nation prosper and our society thrives because we enjoy world-class options in education, healthcare, transportation and economic opportunity, and when our government is limited, accountable and transparent.

Values
Pioneer believes that America is at its best when our citizenry is well-educated, committed to liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise, and both willing and able to test their beliefs based on facts and the free exchange of ideas.

Get Our COVID-19 News, Tips & Resources!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Related Posts

Pioneer wants to know how many people with dementia have died in Massachusetts nursing homes. State government can’t even tell us how many people live in them. 

0 Comments
/
Last month, Pioneer Institute sent a public records request to…

Non-Profits Facing COVID-19: Charles River’s Esplanade Association on Why It’s No Walk in the Park

0 Comments
/
Join host Joe Selvaggi as he talks with Esplanade Association’s executive director Michael Nichols about how he and other non-profits adapt to a surge in demand for services while coping with a collapse in fundraising opportunities.

“Call Me Ishmael” Melville Scholar Prof. Hershel Parker on Moby-Dick & Classic Literature

0 Comments
/
This week on “The Learning Curve,” Gerard and guest co-host Kerry McDonald, senior education fellow with the Foundation for Economic Education, are joined by Hershel Parker, the H. Fletcher Brown professor emeritus at the University of Delaware and the definitive biographer of the 19th-century American novelist, Herman Melville.

Let’s Be There For Students

As we head into the new academic year, unsure if remote learning will continue, we must equip our teachers to ensure that all students are offered the consistent, structured, rigorous, and supportive instructional programs that they need to succeed. This video highlights two schools that have successfully transitioned to remote learning.

HHS COVID Funding Tracker

As of July, the Feds have distributed $86.7 billion to medical providers, of which $2.3 billion came to Massachusetts. Pioneer’s new HHS COVID-19 Funding app shows who and how much, from the $1 sent to American Current Care of Massachusetts, to the $418,034,675 sent to the MA Department of Public Health. We also break down the distribution by city or town.

Pioneer Decries New Travel Order as Unnecessarily Intrusive and Divisive

Pioneer Institute is disappointed at certain extreme aspects of Governor Baker’s executive order that goes into effect tomorrow.

COVID-19 Silver Lining: MBTA Takes Advantage of Ridership Lull to Accelerate $8.5 Billion Modernization Program

Pioneer Institute congratulates the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) and MBTA management for taking advantage of the precipitous ridership declines due to the COVID pandemic to dramatically accelerate ongoing construction projects.

New Study Offers Guide to Recovery in MA Retail, Accommodation and Tourism, and Restaurant Sectors

A new guide to economic recovery in the retail and hospitality industries published by Pioneer Institute calls for the federal and state governments to consider consumption-based refundable tax credits for brick and mortar businesses; the federal government to conduct a detailed study of the costs and benefits of suspending employer-side payroll taxes; businesses to pay special attention to developing and marketing their cleanliness, hygiene and contactless procedures; and third-party customer review sites to include comments about the implementation of COVID safety measures to provide options and reassurance to safety-minded consumers

COVID & Classrooms: Lessons for Students, Staff, & Society on Reopening Schools

0 Comments
/
Join host Joe Selvaggi and co-host Rebekah Paxton of Pioneer Institute as they talk with Harvard Medical School Professor Benjamin Sommers on the most current scientific observations regarding the health and safety of reopening schools.

New Pioneer Study Looks to International Examples to Inform Massachusetts K-12 Schools Reopening

With the fall semester fast approaching, Massachusetts should provide more specific COVID-19-related guidance for school districts about ramping up remote learning infrastructure; rotating in-person cohort schedules; diversifying methods of communication between students, parents, and teachers; and investigating physical distancing capabilities.  Districts must determine whether to adopt in-person, remote, or hybrid schooling options, and they will not be ready for the fall unless the state provides clear direction, according to new analysis from Pioneer Institute.

WSJ Children’s Book Critic & Author, Meghan Cox Gurdon on Reading Aloud to Children in the Age of Distraction

0 Comments
/
This week on “The Learning Curve,” Cara and Gerard are joined by Meghan Cox Gurdon, the Wall Street Journal’s children’s book reviewer and author of The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction.