Voluntary versus mandatory restrictions

One study led by an economist at the University of Chicago found that involuntary lockdowns had little impact, with voluntary distancing making up nearly 90% of the fall in consumer traffic as people feared the virus itself.^[37] Similarly, a National Bureau of Economic Research study found stay-at-home orders increased staying at home by just 5–10%.^[38] Another study from Yale University found that most social distancing was voluntary, driven primarily by "media coverage of morbidity and mortality".^[39]

On the other hand, some studies have argued^[14][40] that coercive measures probably decreased interactions, while accepting that most of the reduction may have been voluntary. One of those two studies, by Flaxman et al., has been criticized, among other things for having a country-specific adjustment factor, without which the model would predict a massive number of deaths for Sweden.^[41] One widely cited economic simulation asserting that shelter-in-place orders reduced total cases three-fold, however, held voluntary distancing constant.^[42] Another study found a 30% difference among border-counties where stay-at-home orders were imposed.^[43]

Another study that compared the impact of 'less restrictive interventions' on the spread of COVID-19 in Sweden and South Korea, with mandatory stay-at home orders in 8 other countries, such as France and Spain, did not find evidence for greater disease control in the countries with more restrictions.^[44] However, the findings of the study have been questioned due to its numerous limitations, including the small sample size of countries.^[45][46]

Some research has also found that an "advisory" approach is not adequate to control COVID-19 outbreaks. An analysis of an outbreak in northern Italy found that an effective reduction in community transmission occurred during a strict national lockdown, and that earlier less stringent measures were ineffective at reducing mobility to a level low enough to reduce the spread of COVID-19.^[18]

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Google has consistently collected data on movements, showing rapid declines in public activity long before legal restrictions were imposed.^[47] An April 2020 poll found that 93% of Americans voluntarily chose to only leave home when necessary, regardless of legal restrictions.^[48]

Related to epidemiology

Epidemiological evidence supports generalized non-pharmaceutical interventions to curb the spread of COVID-19.^{[7][49][50][51]}

During the early stages of the pandemic in Europe and the United States, statistical modeling which advised that restrictions were helpful to prevent a large number of deaths were used as the basis for lockdowns.^[16] This includes an Imperial College projection, led by epidemiologist Neil Ferguson.^[52] Despite some criticisms, academics defended the Imperial projection as fundamentally sound, while admitting the code was "a buggy mess".^[53] Retrospective evaluation of lockdowns and computer modeling has verified that they have significantly contributed to reducing mortality and morbidity from COVID-19.^[54]

A notable opponent of lockdowns has included Sweden's state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, who has frequently criticised the strategy.^[55][56] The Swedish government's approach has included minimal restrictions and has been controversial in part due to the relatively high death toll due to widespread transmission.^[57][58] However, the Swedish government began considering enacting a lockdown in early 2021.^[59][60]

While arguing in August 2020 for the need for further lockdowns in the United States, physicians Ranu Dhillon and Abraar Karan argued for "smarter lockdowns" that impose restrictions on areas with high levels of transmission, and to increase support to vulnerable populations in these locations to offset the economic costs.^[61]

A number of medical experts signed the Great Barrington Declaration in October 2020 which called for "Focused Protection" on high risk groups and minimal restrictions on the general population to achieve herd immunity through COVID-19 infection. However, the majority of medical experts and the WHO have strongly criticised this proposed strategy for its lack of scientific basis and for being unethical.^[50][62][63] The declaration has also attracted controversy over its funding and the authenticity of its signatures.^[49][64]

Related to social impacts

Some commentators have suggested that states' use of emergency powers to curb freedom of assembly and movement are authoritarian and may result in long-term democratic backsliding.^[65] Centralization of power by political leadership in Hungary, Poland, China and Cambodia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been cited as examples.^[66][67][68]

Some researchers have noted that COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have come with mental health costs, compounded by those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic itself.^{[7][69][70][71][72]}

Due to their closure, educational institutions worldwide transitioned to online learning. Teachers and faculty had to learn new ways to engage with students while in a COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of online teaching tools are podcasts, videos, and virtual classrooms.^{[73][better source needed]}

UN Women warned in an April 2020 report that COVID-19 pandemic restrictions exacerbate gender inequalities and have led to an increase in domestic violence.^[74] Many women were being forced to 'lockdown' at home with their abusers at the same time that services to support survivors are being disrupted or made inaccessible.^[75] For instance, in France there was around a 30% spike in cases of since the lockdown in March 2020.^[74]

Telehealth had an important role to allow physicians not to miss the follow-up of patients with different chronic diseases and potentially helped to contain SARS-CoV-2 spreading among both patients and healthcare providers ^[76] During the COVID-19 pandemic, video-communications became an easy-to-use quick-to-learn tool for many people, and the anxiety to contract COVID-19 could have counterbalanced some patients’ low level of trust in technology. For these reasons, most patients accepted to receive a video-consultation in spite of the traditional in-person visit and trusted telemedicine. ^[77]

Related to economic impacts

Some economists supported increased government funding for mitigation efforts, even at the cost of tolerating a very large economic contraction.^[78] They agreed that lockdowns should continue until the threat of resurgence has declined, even when considering only the economic impact.^[79] There was a general agreement, at least in some economic circles, that "severe lockdowns — including closing non-essential businesses and strict limitations on people's movement — are likely to be better for the economy in the medium term than less aggressive measures".^[80]

Both the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have published statements noting the impact of the lockdowns on livelihoods and food security, and David Nabarro, WHO Special Envoy on COVID-19 stated in October 2020 that "lockdowns just have one consequence that you must never ever belittle, and that is making poor people an awful lot poorer".^[81][82][83]

Protests

There have also been a number of protests worldwide in opposition to lockdowns, including in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and New Zealand. The motivations for and sizes of these protests have varied. Some have been spurred by the economic and social impacts of lockdowns, but have also been associated with misinformation related to the pandemic, conspiracy theories and anti-vaccination.^[84][85]