Super-spreading wedding demonstrates Covid-19 risk posed by holiday gatherings

Re:Super-spreading wedding demonstrates Covid-19 risk posed ... by rlpb on Friday November 13, 2020 @12:25PM (#25084755)

I wonder if a civil prosecution might be easier. Have people pay for others' loss of wages, medical expenses, the support of dependents of people they caused to kill, etc, when they can be shown to have caused the spread and been irresponsible, to a civil burden of proof.

Two possible problems:

1) It might hurt tracing efforts if people are worried about being prosecuted (ie. people "clam up"). For example, this particular story might not be known at all. Hurting tracing harms public health, so this might be a good enough reason not to go after irresponsible people on the basis of tracing infections at all.

2) I'm not aware of the law ever holding anyone responsible for non-deliberate infection. New legal ground would have to be broken in this area.

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Re:Super-spreading wedding demonstrates Covid-19 risk posed ... by ls612 on Friday November 13, 2020 @12:39PM (#25084998)

(2) is a direct consequence of (1). Remember, until this year public health experts were always pointing out how shaming people in a public health context is highly counterproductive. People won't engage with the health system if they fear being punished for doing so. And with communicable disease that means there will be more spread.

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