Relaxing physical distancing

Stressed, unsafe and insecure: Essential workers need a new, New Deal. University of Massachusetts Amherst, June 5, 2020.
Essential workers need childcare in order to work. EdSurge April 22, 2020.
Essential workers are not able to demand protective gear, family and medical leave, or adequate pay. American Progress April 8, 2020.
Grocery store and warehouse employees say they do not have enough protection at work. They worry they will carry the virus home to their families. New York Times April 20, 2020.

Provide adequate institutional and professional support to enable competent performance. APHA Code of Ethics, 4.8.4.
Governments and the healthcare sector should institute measures and processes to guarantee provisions and support services to individuals and/or communities affected by restrictive measures. University of Toronto
Frontline workers should be given fair remuneration for their work. WHO Ethics in a Outbreak

Guidelines for essential worker social distancing. Los Angeles Community College District, September 2, 2021.
COIVD-19: Essential workers in the states. National Conference of State Legislatures, January 11, 2021.
The CDC released safety practices for individuals working in high risk situations. Implementing Safety Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Had Exposure to a Person with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19
Several YMCA’s around the country are offering free childcare for frontline and essential workers. YMCA
The Administration for Children and Families released a document providing state level resources for essential employees searching for childcare. The Administration for Children and Families, D.C.

COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing: economic, psychological, family, and technological effects. Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Apr-May, 2021.
COVID-19 and the effects of social distancing on the economy. VoxEU. August 31, 2020.
Deaths from a second wave of infections following relaxed physical distancing would be worse for the economy than remaining isolated longer to get the virus more under control. The Verge March 25, 2020.
Due to COVID-19, the economy is reported as a significant source of stress by 7 out of 10 adults in the United States (compared to 46% in 2019). American Psychological Association
Rates of depression and anxiety are increasing in Americans, representing the negative mental health effects of coronavirus. The Washington Post, May 4, 2020.
Regular care needs have gone unmet because people are afraid to visit the doctor. Child vaccines, including measles, experienced a drastic decline in March and April. Stat News, May 8, 2020.
Afraid of catching coronavirus, people with potentially fatal conditions are avoiding the emergency room. This treatment delay leads to worse outcomes or death. ABC News, April 23, 2020.

Efforts to maximize utility require consideration of proportionality (balancing the potential benefits of an activity against any risks of harm) and efficiency (achieving the greatest benefits at the lowest possible cost). WHO Ethics in an Outbreak
Efforts should be made to support the social and professional reintegration of individuals for whom confinement is no longer necessary, including measures to reduce stigmatization and discrimination. WHO Ethics in an Outbreak

How to minimize the impact of the coronavirus on the economy. Politico, November 5, 2020.
COVID-19 economic relief. U.S. Department of the Treasury.
COVID-19 assistance programs. Institute for Local Self-Reliance, May 26, 2020.