The new normal

Universities must be allowed to decide how and when to open

Fighting a pandemic is daunting, tiresome and frightening. As global Covid-19 death rates show little sign of abating, researchers have made it clear that there are no simple answers to this crisis.

The same uncertainty affects strategies to emerge from lockdowns across the world. Some European countries, such as Germany, France, Italy and the Nordic nations, have reduced infection rates to low levels, and are preparing to return to normal.