A new study out of Johns Hopkins University indicates that lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic "have had little to no effect on COVID-19 mortality," and Republican leaders are pointing to it as justification for their approach. [MORE]

The review looked at 24 studies that qualified for the authors’ analysis, which included those that looked at lockdown stringency, shelter-in-place orders and various forms of "compulsory, non-pharmaceutical intervention." 

The report states,

More specifically, stringency index studies find that lockdowns in Europe and the United States only reduced COVID-19 mortality by 0.2% on average. SIPOs were also ineffective, only reducing COVID-19 mortality by 2.9% on average. Specific NPI studies also find no broad-based evidence of noticeable effects on COVID-19 mortality.

While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted. In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument. [MORE]