The Problem With Immunity Certificates
Large-scale antibody testing is a way out of mass lockdowns, but it could create perverse incentives for people to try to contract the virus.
During the Great Plague of London in 1665, houses where the infection appeared were painted with a red cross and sealed, condemning the occupants to death. Now the idea of visibly identifying the infected is being turned on its head as governments around the world look at how to reopen economies shattered by the coronavirus crisis.
With hundreds of millions forced to stay home to stop the spread of the virus, politicians and public-health experts are searching for safe mechanisms to allow people to return to work without sparking a second wave of infections. Officials and scientists in Italy, Germany, and other countries are considering giving certificates to people who’ve recovered from Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. The certificates would allow them to escape restrictions, while the uninfected might have to remain isolated until a vaccine or treatment is found. U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has even floated the idea of an immunity wristband.