School reopening plans need to account for the upcoming exclusion of vulnerable populations; if these students are most likely to be quarantined and struggle to learn remotely while their peers return to in-person schooling, the already widening disparities in learning outcomes will only increase.
The COVID-19 pandemic will not be contained without international solidarity and coordination, but not all high-level cooperation is productive — in fact, the politicization of some responses has critically compromised them. A particularly high-stakes example of this trend is the distortion of the personal protective equipment (PPE) supply chain in recent months. As demand continues to outpace supply, manufacturers are primarily offering PPE to their allies, states are taking hazardous shortcuts to produce and procure it, and some governments are being forced to choose between the wishes of their allies and the safety of their constituents.
