Simple, low-cost measures like requiring masks in public would preserve as much as 5 percent of GDP, economists have estimated

The United States can still contain the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, epidemiologists argue. The country can still flatten the curve and lower the death toll. Simple, low-cost measures like requiring masks in public would preserve as much as 5 percent of GDP, economists have estimated, as well as preventing thousands from getting sick. The supposed trade-off between public health and the economy doesn’t exist. And right now, the country is choosing not to save either.

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ANNIE LOWREY is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covers economic policy.

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