Some experts were concerned about the creation of unrealistic expectations, links with gender-based violence, and the potential for addiction. Others said education might help to offset these harms.
The best option is for infected people to be admitted to hospitals or other suitable health facilities. This will help prevent transmission within families.
Once something bound up with other people, more recently ‘happiness’ is seen as something very individual. Has our dependence on each other during lockdown changed our sense of where happiness lies?
The drop in traffic during COVID-19 lockdowns reduced global emissions. If we keep encouraging cycling and working from home beyond the pandemic, our climate goals may become more achievable.
The Victorian spike serves as a reminder that we are still very much in a pandemic. We need to come to terms with the fact we will need follow the basics of infection control for some time.
A survey conducted in April revealed more than half the participants flouted social distancing rules to go shopping for non-essential items, and visit friends or family.
If expert advice on the pandemic turns out to be wrong, it will have dire consequences for how reliable scientific evidence is treated in other policy areas, such as climate change.
The change in our behaviour in response to COVID-19 has created an opportunity to build on this moment and transform our local neighbourhoods into vibrant mixed-use centres of activity.
How many of us have recently wished we could partition parts of our home, even to have a small second house? Being able to do this on existing blocks would help meet the many needs of families today.