Liberty is often viewed as the right to do what we want, free from state interference. The intrusion of stay-at-home orders have quickly been seen as a violation of these rights and an affront to the constitution. Liberty is more complex than this simplistic conception. Recognising this could save lives before and after the pandemic.  

As deaths from COVID-19 continue to mount, quarantine fatigue has set in. In the U.S., protesters, some holding signs saying “No Liberty. No Life,” have demanded the end of state stay-at-home orders. Perhaps sharing the sentiment, President Trump has decided not to extend his own social distancing guidelines. In addition, Attorney General William Barr has directed federal prosecutors to “be on the lookout for state and local directives that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.”