Thread by @Richard_Florida

1. Quick thread of the main ideas in my @USATODAY oped with @ArthurCaplan on how to treat the unvaccinated in light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
usatoday.com/story/opinion/…

2. Our basic position: "People are free to make all the bad choices they want when it comes to themselves, but not when they put others in danger and incur costs that we all must pay. "

3. Especially with the uber-contagious Delta variant, the unvaccinated pose direct risks to the health and well-being of the immunocompromised, the frail and the elderly, and especially young kids.

4. "Up until now, society has pussy-footed around the right of the unvaccinated to inflict harm: We have implored them to do the right thing, creating incentives like free beer and lottery tickets ..."

5. "Ethical dilemmas often entail tough choices, but this one is easy. The choice to not vaccinate does far more harm than any infringement of the rights of the unvaccinated."

6. While we should not force people to vaccinate, we can and should require them to take responsibility for their choices along the following lines ...

7. The unvaccinated should be required to:
Disclose their status,
Wears masks & distance in indoor and crowded public spaces.
Quarantine after travel.

8. Health insurance companies should increase premiums on the unvaccinated, just as they do for smokers.

9. When I traveled back to Canada from the US earlier this spring, I had to quarantine for two weeks, even tho I was vaccinated. If I broke the quarantine & infected someone, I would have been subject to steep fines & even possible imprisonment.

10. It only makes sense that the same kinds of restrictions should continue for those who choose to go unvaccinated today.

11. The whole piece is here: usatoday.com/story/opinion/…

12. And here: news.yahoo.com/unvaccinated-d…