Editorial: Experience informs pandemic response

Much of the world appears to have moved on from COVID-19, even if COVID has not moved on from the world.

The absence of protective gear on display, the return of handshakes and hugs, and a perceptible lack of concern have replaced the urgency that was prevalent even this time last year.

While traveling in June, I was surprised by how many people on airplanes chose not to wear masks after airlines lifted the requirement to cover up. I still wore mine but felt conspicuous sitting among other passengers alternately smiling and grimacing as we readied for takeoff and endured an hour-long delay.

Not that masking up did me much good — on returning home I tested positive, but fortunately the symptoms were negligible, which seems to be the story with many who contract the virus. Vaccines may not have ended the pandemic, but they often are effective in preventing the worst of its consequences.

With the return to almost normal, it’s easy to forget that there are still hundreds of people with COVID-19 dying each day in the United States. Even acknowledging that sobering fact, clearly, we are in another phase of pandemic response, and lawmakers and companies are responding to the change.

As we report on page 10, there has been a sharp decline in pandemic-related legislation introduced in state legislatures, and many of the presumption laws passed in 2020 have expired, eliminating the rule that workers in certain jobs were presumed to have caught COVID-19 on the job for workers compensation purposes. 

In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has scaled back its recommendations for employers on issues such as quarantines.

It’s much too soon, though, for employers to turn the page on COVID-19. According to the CDC, only two-thirds of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated. The figure rises to nearly 80% for people over 18, but that means millions of workers are still vulnerable to serious illness. 

In addition, there remains a legacy of lawsuits in the courts. Outside of business interruption cases, many of which are still being heard, workplace safety-related lawsuits also are yet to be resolved (see the analysis here).

Finally, the issue of the long-term effects of COVID-19, whether they be so-called long COVID or yet to be determined consequences of the disease or new variants, are still hanging over all of us as we wait to see what happens in the too-soon-to-be-coming winter months.

The good news is that employers and workers are in a much better position to deal with any future outbreaks, having seen what worked and what didn’t, witnessed underreactions and overreactions and generally learned way more about preventing disease spread than anyone would have predicted three years ago.