Keynote Presentation: Costly Closures: The Return on Investment in COVID-19 Prevention for Retail, School, Sports, and Entertainment

Join me, an applied epidemiologist with boots on the ground, as we review key discoveries learned from the reopening of sports, entertainment and the arts. The four pillars of reopening include vaccination, ventilation, testing, and masking. Which safety policies are most closely related to staying open? 

Private businesses, including retail stores and corporate offices, have now adopted and adapted these strategies pioneered by sports leagues. Yet, the struggle continues as budget-impact and access to testing has limited businesses efforts to operate safe, in-person workplaces. How much are we willing to pay for faster test results? When will the Ct value from quantitative PCR results be endorsed for guiding the response to a positive case? Applied epidemiologists in the field have increased use of genomic sequencing for positive cases as part of workplace outbreak investigations - estimating the likelihood of transmission in the workplace. 

Hotly debated controversies remain. Can VIP cases end a 10-day isolation early with multiple PCR negative tests and return to work? How long might a case continue testing positive and when is it considered re-infection? We will connect the latest science with practical policy recommendations to protect health and accelerate economic recovery.  

Learning Objectives:

1.    Assess the cost of cancelling vs cost of prevention tradeoff for an upcoming public event.

2.    Define key safety pillars needed for successful in-person, recurring, large-group gatherings.

3.    Name the hottest controversial workplace policies under debate now.