The evidence suggests that full lockdowns, such as those implemented in Italy and Norway, are not as effective as the more targeted approaches taken in other countries, such as in South Korea and Iceland.
In fact, as we
discuss, those two countries have fared considerably better than the United States has in handling COVID-19 without shutting down their economies.
Another key finding is that Australia and New Zealand, two neighboring countries with similar climates, have had
similar outcomes regarding COVID-19, even though they took very different approaches to dealing with the virus.
In particular, New Zealand virtually locked down the entire country in the spring, while Australia took a less restrictive approach.
Yet, both countries have contained the virus at similar levels.
Specifically, Australia had 13,595 COVID-19 cases (0.0534% of its population) and 139 deaths (0.000546% of its population), while New Zealand had 1,556 cases (0.0323% of its population) and 22 deaths (0.000457% of its population). However, New Zealand’s unemployment level is forecast
to increase to 9.2% by December, while Australia’s is
expected to increase to 7.6% over this same time period.
From a public health perspective, strict lockdowns can cause additional problems.
