After weeks of dramatically increasing COVID cases, the Baker-Polito Administration finally took action. But public health experts say the steps taken are unlikely to make any significant difference. Data do not support the effectiveness of these steps and some of them have been tried in European countries without success. The Baker-Polito Administration has not released any data-driven plan for how it will respond to the alarming increases in COVID cases. Communicating the metrics that will trigger restrictions (e.g., what numbers of cases per day or what rate of positive test results) and what those restrictions will be on schools, businesses, and other activities is important. This lets people know what to expect and that restrictions are data-driven and not just a political decision. It also gives people an incentive to abide by current restrictions so the pandemic doesn’t get worse and lead to greater restrictions. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/11/03/metro/are-gov-bakers-latest-coronavirus-restrictions-likely-make-difference
By John Lippitt