Jonathan Kay speaks to Philippe Lemoine about problematic assumptions embedded in the models used to support COVID lockdown policy. Yes, separating people helps reduce virus transmission and saves lives. But forced isolation also can generate serious (and often life-threatening) risks. Moreover, how much of the beneficial effects attributed to lockdowns are the result of disease-avoidant behaviours that most of us would engage in anyway?

Resources discussed in this podcast:

• Estimating the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 in Europe, Nature, June 8, 2020
• Lockdowns, science and voodoo magic, by Philippe Lemoine
• The China Syndrome, by Philippe Lemoine, Quillette