Global Health Laws and Reform Amid COVID-19

Every continent on the planet has now been touched by the COVID-19 virus, launching the world into an unprecedented state of lockdowns and the many negative consequences that follow from it. Orders to wear masks, socially distance, and limit large gatherings have not only brought to the table a whole layer of global and public health law, but illuminated health and racial inequalities.

Press play to learn the following:

• What aspects of global health law are ripe for reform in light of the COVID-19 pandemic
• The effect of and reason behind contradictory messages from the CDC and WHO regarding the appropriate response to and science of the COVID-19 virus
• Are travel restrictions and lockdowns actually effective at preventing spread of the COVID-19 virus?
• Why lockdowns should be a last resort, and what should be changed in the coming weeks and months to mount a better, more effective response to COVID-19

Lawrence Gostin is University Professor at Georgetown University and Founding O'Neill Chair in Global Health Law. Since the beginning of the pandemic, his focus has been almost exclusively on the COVID-19 response in the US and globally. In addition to discussing the sheer unequalness illuminated by COVID-19, he talks about the hope he sees in human ingenuity and science, and the vaccines that are being administered in the US and Europe. 

He explains what a “global health law” is, and discusses international law in the form of international health regulations, such as the WHO treaty by which 196 states are bound, including the US. This treaty deals with matters such as how to detect, report, and response to novel infectious disease.

 Gostin also shares his opinion about what might lay ahead of us in the coming months, what he sees as the light at the end of the tunnel, his conviction that another pandemic will inevitably emerge, why he believes the WHO should be granted additional powers, and more.

Tune in for all the details.

Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK