This book asks whether the decision to lock down the world was justified in proportion to the potential harms and risks generated by the Covid-19 virus. Drawing on global, empirical data, it explores and exposes the social harms induced by lockdowns, many of which are 'hidden', including joblessness, mental health problems and an intensification of societal inequalities and divisions. It offers data-driven case studies on harms such as domestic violence, child abuse, the distress of being ordered to stay at home, and the numerous harms associated with the new wealth industries. It explores why some people weren't compliant with lockdown restrictions and examines the already vulnerable social groups who were disproportionally affected by lockdown including those who were locked in (care home residents), locked up (prisoners), and locked out (migrant workers, refugees). The book closes with a brief discussion on what the future might look like as we enter a post-Covid world, drawing on cutting-edge social theory. 

“This is an absorbing account of lockdown harms, told in part through fascinating first person testimony and surveys collected throughout the pandemic from around the world. It tells a global story of moral quandries, mistrust in government and fault-lines between “sheeple” and “covidiots”. Bitter truths are made palatable by the engaging human stories. In one example, the bizarre management of this epidemic is illustrated in the description of a "Covid-safe" child’s party in which fun is “broken down into sequential bouts of potential excitement followed by disappointment”. This is an essential account of lockdowns!” (Laura Dodsworth, author, journalist, photographer and filmmaker and author of A State of Fear: How The UK Government Weaponised Fear During The Covid-19 Pandemic, UK)

“Sobering, urgent and necessary, this is the first serious attempt to chronicle the colossal harms caused by lockdowns worldwide. Deeply researched, rich with statistics, and studded with personaltestimonies from around the world, it should be compulsory reading for every policymaker, and anyone interested in a better post-pandemic world.” (Professor Lee Jones, Professor of Political Economy and International Relations, Queen Mary, University of London, UK)

“These authors deserve the world’s thanks for surveying the victims of covid lockdowns starting in March 2020.  The pain communicated in the voices of victims woven into this book – from violence, anxiety, loss of love, meaning, and security, social disintegration, crushed dreams, and so much more – is enough to touch the most hardened “neoliberal”.  Presented within a well-referenced social scientific journey through the covid era, the authors’ poignant condemnation of lockdowns and other covid policies that hijacked society is a welcome addition to covid policy analysis by left-wing intellectuals, most of whom – like governments worldwide – turned their backs on the victims of the madness.” (Professor Gigi Foster, School of Economics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia)

“Finally! Left-wing intellectuals writing about lockdowns who are truly on the side of the poor, the elderly, the migrants, the sick, and the young: the forgotten victims. This timely book documents how many academics and politicians fell for the illusion that one can control covid and failed to see the damage right under their nose that they were party to.” (Paul Frijters, Emeritus Professor of Wellbeing Economics at the London School of Economics, London, UK)

“This is an absorbing account of lockdown harms, told in part through fascinating first person testimony and surveys collected throughout the pandemic from around the world. tells a global story of moral quandries, mistrust in government and fault-lines between “sheeple” and “covidiots”. Bitter truths are made palatable by the engaging human stories. In one example, the bizarre management of this epidemic is illustrated in the description of a "Covid-safe" child’s party in which fun is “broken down into sequential bouts of potential excitement followed by disappointment”. This is an essential account of lockdowns!” (Laura Dodsworth, author, journalist, photographer and filmmaker and author of A State of Fear: How The UK Government Weaponised Fear During The Covid-19 Pandemic, UK)

“As social scientists begin to interrogate the harms caused by the response to Covid-19, this book drops a bomb into the discussion which will help to demolish the myth that the destruction of so many lives and livelihoods was somehow inevitable. Lockdown is a brilliant analysis of the "collateral damage" caused by the pandemic response, of the human experience of this nightmare, and of the implications for the futures of societies around the world. It is urgent, gripping, vital, and demands to be read” (Professor Toby Green, Professor of Precolonial and Lusophone African History and Culture, Kings College, London, UK)

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