As 2021 begins and 2020 is relegated to the history books, an objective, critical review of the previous year is needed. As humans experienced the first global pandemic since 1918, it also experienced a multitude of missed opportunities that would have mitigated the frequency and severity of COVID-19 exposures and infections. Contrary to many messages communicated by politicians, the pandemic is not a political issue. Instead, it is a hazard, subject to scientific hazard control. However, within the risk management construct, hazard control can only happen if risk control is first chosen as the risk treatment method (chosen over risk acceptance, risk avoidance, and risk transfer). Being that total risk avoidance and risk transfer are not really possible with a virus in every community on the globe, those that became activists against droplet containment (source control), social distancing, and capacity limits were, in essence, choosing risk acceptance. While many politicians and others became vocal against business hiatuses, this is understandable in that it impacts the economy, but to counter the exposure risks in keeping businesses open, distancing and source control are the balancing forces. Arguing against those while also arguing against congregation prevention (by temporarily closing the economy) becomes risk acceptance.
The hard truth of the pandemic is that, although this is the first of its kind since 1918, the concept of operations behind exposure prevention is not new. If compared to a hazardous material/chemical spill, the following would take place: