What Drove the Lockdowns? A Conversation with Amesh Adalja

Were the statewide lockdowns in the U.S. imposed so as to significantly reduce the number of coronavirus cases? Critics who question lifting the lockdowns seem to assume this, but was this the real goal? In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer sits down with Amesh Adalja, expert on pandemic preparedness and senior scholar at the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, to discuss these questions and the latest developments on the pandemic.

Topics covered include:

• How effectively the U.S. has approached the pandemic and what we can expect in the near future;
• Whether the recent protests across the country will increase the risk of spreading the virus;
• What the original goal of the lockdowns was, and how some people have misinterpreted that goal;
• Whether or not government should prohibit individuals from taking risks according to their own priorities in life
• Whether scientists are to blame for the ubiquitous lockdowns;
• And much more.

Mentioned in the discussion is Adalja’s excellent article on the Covid-19 pandemic. You can read it here.

This podcast was recorded on June 3, 2020. Watch or listen to the discussion below.

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Podcast audio: