Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 11:30 AM – 1 PM EST

Polly J. Price, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law, Professor of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health

“Pandemics and the Law of Social Distancing”

COVID-19 familiarized many Americans with “social distancing,” a term encompassing a variety of actions intended to mitigate spread of contagious disease. Elected leaders (especially state governors) varied remarkably in their attitude toward social distancing, especially for business and school closures, size limits on gatherings, dining at indoor restaurants, travel restrictions and quarantine policy, and the use of face masks. The dizzying patchwork of COVID-19 policies looked more like the response of fifty different nations than that of the resource-rich and technologically advanced single nation that it is. Some governors opposed mandates in favor of voluntary compliance on the grounds that citizens should be “allowed to exercise their constitutional freedoms,” as Governor Kemp stated. Polly Price will explain the law of social distancing, and why it can vary so markedly between states. Who decides what safety measures are necessary? Where is the line between emergency mandates and what sometimes seem to be a politically-charged view of constitutional freedoms? When might public health orders violate individual rights? The answers to these questions inform the prospects for legal reform in advance of the next pandemic.