News Room

Airlines want the TSA to screen passengers for a fever. It's a dicey proposition, risking travelers outrage for a procedure that experts say won't keep COVID off planes.

It should come as little surprise that the novel coronavirus outbreak has led to the disruption - to one extent or another - of countless industries. However, some may be surprised to learn that one such sector is the pharmaceutical industry and, more specifically, the global supply chain it relies on to conduct business on an ongoing basis.

Assistant Professor of Public Policy Soroush Saghafian, whose academic interests include applying operations research methods to health care management, has been working with the government of Bahrain to analyze the effectiveness of policies to address the coronavirus. Saghafian, who is a faculty affiliate of the Harvard PhD program in health policy and the Harvard Center for Health Decision Science, cautions that no one policy is best in all cases—and that governments must weigh cost and quality of life considerations. However, he says that closing businesses like cinemas and gyms for four months could be one of the most low-cost and effective measures. Saghafian shared analysis that he and his former PhD student (now an assistant professor of statistics and family medicine at Michigan State University) Alireza Boloori conducted in an HKS faculty working paper, “COVID-19: What Intervention Policies Are Most Effective? A Brief Report Using Data from Government of Bahrain.”

David Simchi-Levi, professor of engineering systems at MIT, talks about what’s next for supply chains, as the U.S. looks to reopen businesses after the coronavirus quarantine.

Now that Gov. Phil Murphy has reopened the Jersey Shore for the Memorial Day holiday, will the crowds come? Experts and a poll said people are more likely to drive to the beach at Belmar than fly to French riviera. Another temptation to get them out of the house are lower than normal gas prices. But it will be a gradual transition from coronavirus staycation to vacation.