Public Health Expert Describes The Critical Balance Between Human Rights And Public Welfare

Published March 23, 2020 at 12:40 PM EDT

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Times Square stands mostly empty as as much of the city is void of cars and pedestrians over fears of spreading the coronavirus on March 22, 2020 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

As COVID-19 spreads in this country, people are struggling to adjust to the new rules: stand six feet apart, work from home, don’t get a haircut, home school your children.

If you own a business, you’ve likely been asked to shut your doors. All of this, in the name of “public health.” But what does that mean? How are the rules made? And what about personal freedom?

For answers, we turn to Lawrence Gostin (@LawrenceGostin), professor of global health law at Georgetown University and director of the World Health Organization’s Global Health Law Center.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.