So many strategies, so little time

A French police officer checking movement authorisation in Paris after France went under a lockdown. -- AFP

A recurring observation that has been surfacing in the news of late is the inconsistency in strategies adopted by governments all over the world that are contending with the common foe, Covid-19.

Suppression and containment strategies: These strategies try to achieve their aim with lockdowns and movement control orders (some more stringent than others). The objective is simple, to minimise human contact to the point that the ability of the virus to spread is stifled. This keeps the rate of local infections down so that local healthcare systems are not overburdened and, hence, able to treat everyone who walks in through the doors.