Should we be thinking about returning to work?

not-fully-formed thoughts... to be cont'd...

Questions to ask:

• What is the cost/benefit?
• What are the benefits of returning to the office(s); what are the risks, or potential costs?
• Do the potential gains from returning justify incurring the risks associated with returning?
• What is different now?
• If social distancing measures were required in March/April, what is different now [or in May or in June] that allows for those measures to be relaxed and lifted?
• Is there a vaccine? 
• If not, have all employees been tested? their families and co-habitants?
• If not, can we confidently ensure prevention of transmission from employees that are asymptomatic carriers?
• If not, how confident can we be that no employees nor their family members will be infected with the virus due to RtW

Principles to adhere to:

• Precautionary principle / no regrets policy

Facts to consider:

• There is still much that is unknown about this novel coronavirus and the disease COVID-19
• e.g. complications in patients with COVID-19 have been emerging; and there has been a resurgence of cases in Asian countries 
• these should have critical implications for how the world proceeds forward
• Evidence is mounting that COVID-19 has potentially life-threatening complications beyond its impact on respiratory systems.
• Clinicians worldwide are seeing evidence that the virus is also causing heart inflammation, acute kidney disease, blood clots, intestinal and liver problems, and brain damage.
• Governments (national/regional/municipal) around the world have adopted different measures and taken different approaches
• Clearly some of those approaches have been more judicious and more effective than others
• Given that different governments have pursued different policies, not all decision-makers are adhering to scientifically-determined best practices
• As such, faith in authority is less warranted at this time than scientific reasoning