Thread. I am getting worried about the word “lockdown”. I worry that it is deeply unhelpful. What it means in different places varies greatly. And it implies that anything branded a “lockdown” will have the same effects as those achieved in Wuhan. 1/n
At one end this feeds into the assumptions that drive the projections from @IHME_UW (which I note change daily). They assume that the US and elsewhere will achieve the same benefits as Wuhan with less effort 2/n
At the other, words like lockdown are scary. As @jmwerner123 pointed out to me, they imply an element of punishment or blame. Neither are helpful 3/n
And then you have the “shelter in place” variant which, while immediately helpful, is meant to be used for things like blizzards. Not repeated waves of infection washing back and forth over you during a pandemic 4/n
More to the point – there are many ways of restricting transmission. Some of them *might* include masks, others might be limits on the sizes of gatherings. In the absence of an imminent surge that will crush your healthcare they may not need to all be there at the same time 5/n
Basic responsible actions, which people across the nation and around the world are doing, help. Stuff like handwashing. Change your clothes when you get in the house. Keep your distance etc. I have suggested one way sidewalks in our city to limit people passing one another 6/n
Put these all together, add good surveillance, contact tracing and people motivated to respond to danger by altering their daily routine to help their community, and you got the start of a solution. Go #optimismspa 7/n
Just please, remember the "lockdown" right now might be saving your life, or the lives of people close to you. It came too late for people I know. It's still not too late for everyone. Take care of yourselves, and others 8/fin
