ACADEMIA Letters

What is more important, health, or the economy?

Nour Fadel

What is more important, health, or the economy? This is what comes to mind when thinking
about mandatory quarantine due to the current ongoing pandemic. Quarantine is when some-
one or a group of people are suspected to be carrying infectious diseases and are isolated to
prevent them from spreading the disease . Therefore, it is only natural that as the world fights
against COVID-19. A debate about whether the government should isolate people in their
homes against their will or not would rise. On one hand, some people believe that isolation is
necessary to limit the number of infected people at least until the creation of a vaccine. On the
other hand, some people who are mostly business owners fear that the government enforced
quarantine would cause an economic recession because individuals would not be contribut-
ing to economic activities; therefore, they need it to end. Moreover, they believe that herd
immunity occurs when a large number of the population becomes immune due to vaccines or
previous infections; thus, it protects the rest of the population, especially weak members. This
can be achieved when at least 60% of the population is infected hence quarantine is contribut-
ing to the problem, not the solution. However, quarantine is necessary because it is vital to
helping protect the health of the population as a whole. Firstly, it is believed that governments
should compel citizens to quarantine because it is a necessity for it reduces the pressure on
hospitals and the medical staff. Secondly, the priority now should not be the economic reces-
sion, which would follow the pandemic. Lastly, the government can reduce any consequences
of the negative psychological impacts of mandatory quarantine.
The first argument made by those who oppose quarantine is that it will render herd immu-
nity. Herd immunity occurs when a disease affects a large portion of the population, making
them immune and not a danger to others. It protects those with a weaker immune system such
as babies or the elderly. For example, while most countries around the world were adopting
preventive measures, the UK did not stop mass gatherings or schools but announced that this

Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Nour Fadel, nourfadel69@gmail.com

Citation: Fadel, N. (2021). What is more important, health, or the economy? Academia Letters, Article 2205.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2205.

1
would result in behavioral fatigue, and people would break quarantine. Instead, they planned
that some of the youth in the country would become infected and suffer mild symptoms and
then be immune (Patel, 2020). While herd immunity is a known term in the medical soci-
ety, there is no guarantee that this strategy would work. This is what the United Kingdom
government realized as they ordered their people to avoid unnecessary contact and outings
because achieving herd immunity would result in thousands of deaths. For instance, Cook
(2020) explains that for herd immunity to be achieved in the UK, more than 45 million peo-
ple would have to be infected. Furthermore, since there is a 2.3% death rate and more than
a 17% rate of grave diseases, it is estimated that the virus would cause more than a million
deaths and over 7 million in critical condition in the UK alone. With all these cases in need of
medical care, an expansion in the medical capacity is required, which is not an easy task. For
example, since the beginning of the outbreak in December 2020, a severe shortage in masks
and protective attire has been noticed in China, and even if they are available, they are of poor
quality (Wang, Zhang & He, 2020). This problem does not exist only in China but all over
the world. Gans (2020) explains that in the United Kingdom, the health care industry has a
fixed mindset claiming that there is a lack of resources that is preventing it from expanding
which is not true because there is, indeed, a room for expansion by providing the medical de-
partment with increased funding and prioritizing it (para. 11). This shows that governments
cannot afford to end mandatory isolation as it will cause the infection and death of millions
of people around the world. Overall, while herd immunity is a possible solution, the current
medical capacity cannot afford to care for the millions of people that would ultimately require
excessive medical care.
People who oppose mandatory quarantine also believe that it affects the economy in a
negative way. Bremmer (2020) predicts that coronavirus will be the end of the first stage of
industrial globalization, which is the transportation of different means of production among
various countries, as it has already imposed limitations on travel. Moreover, it is believed that
isolation prevents people from pursuing their jobs and contributing to their national economy.
Eventually, this will affect it negatively. For instance, the National Economic Council director
and the Treasury Secretary of the United States recently illustrated that the U.S. gross domes-
tic product will be reduced by 30%, causing many people to lose their jobs. This pushed
the president of the U.S. to avoid expanding the isolation period, declaring that he wants ev-
erything to be normal by Easter (Bennett & Berenson, 2020). These concerns are valid and
should be dealt with by governments to reduce their effects on both the long and short term.
Nonetheless, the negative economic impact of coronavirus would be relatively easy to solve.
For example, Gans (2020) explains that for the first time in the history of economic crises,
this is a crisis that economic experts know how to deal with because the economy is affected

Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Nour Fadel, nourfadel69@gmail.com

Citation: Fadel, N. (2021). What is more important, health, or the economy? Academia Letters, Article 2205.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2205.

2
since the lack of participation, which is simply solved by resuming economic activity. In ad-
dition to that, facing and eliminating the pandemic should be a top priority not only because
of the health benefits, but also because on the long run, focusing on the health department and
limiting the pandemic would save countries more money in the future by not facing a second
wave of the virus which would lead to more mandatory quarantine. For instance, the World
Health Organization’s officials are requesting governments all over the world to prioritize the
health departments in their country, especially by supplying them with personal protective at-
tire and the mental health support they need (World Medical Association, 2020). This shows
that even though the economic recession is a major concern to all economies, governments
need to direct all its efforts and support to the medical section, which is economically more
economically efficient than not doing so.
Finally, it is believed that mandatory quarantine can cause many mental health problems.
Mental health problems include depression, severe stress, insomnia, anger, and even post-
dramatic stress. Moreover, this isolation keeps the individual away from his loved ones and
takes away his freedom, and most seriously, cases of suicide have been noticed. Furthermore,
health care workers also suffer from anxiety as they feel scared, guilty, or helpless because
they are in close contact with patients and are usually locked in with them. Multiple factors
cause mandatory quarantine to be an unpleasant experience, such as the long duration of it,
boredom, and insufficient information (Brooks et al, 2020). Quarantine is not an easy ex-
perience. However, governments all over the world have been exerting tremendous effort to
reduce the negative impact of it. For example, the Danish government declared that it will
pay citizens more than 70% of their salaries while they are quarantined (Collington, 2020).
In addition to that, since I am quarantined in Egypt, the government has provided me and my
family with 30% more free internet to encourage us to stay at home. Moreover, the minister of
health keeps Egyptian citizens updated through statements and the media this informs citizens
of the current updates which helps reduce the anxiety and stress that comes with not knowing
enough. This shows that even though mandatory quarantine has its negative influence men-
tally, certain steps have been taken to decrease its harmful effect. In the end, quarantine is a
necessity despite its flaws, which can be tackled.
To conclude, COVID-19 is a dangerous virus that needs to be taken seriously to be able
to save many lives. Stopping quarantine without increasing medical capacity is extremely
dangerous. Also, depending on herd immunity to compact the virus is not guaranteed to
work. Furthermore, the health department’s improvement should be the priority of all coun-
tries around the world. Governments are working to help make the quarantine a better expe-
rience. Hence, mandatory quarantine is the best strategy to be followed until the discovery
of a vaccine. If more people realize this, they would commit more to staying at home to pro-

Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Nour Fadel, nourfadel69@gmail.com

Citation: Fadel, N. (2021). What is more important, health, or the economy? Academia Letters, Article 2205.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2205.

3
tect themselves and their loved ones. It is recommended that everyone obey their government
orders so the world can move on and survive this pandemic.

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Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Nour Fadel, nourfadel69@gmail.com

Citation: Fadel, N. (2021). What is more important, health, or the economy? Academia Letters, Article 2205.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2205.

4
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Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Nour Fadel, nourfadel69@gmail.com

Citation: Fadel, N. (2021). What is more important, health, or the economy? Academia Letters, Article 2205.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2205.