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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Was the purpose of the March stay-at-home orders to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed?

Monday, June 15, 2020

By Jacqueline Agustin

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YES

"Flattening the curve," the goal behind "lockdowns" and similar stay-at-home policies enacted in many countries, has enabled health care services to address what was feared to become an even larger number of patients made seriously ill by the coronavirus.

Stay-at-home measures slowed case growth and bought time to plan, reducing eventual pressures on staff, capacity and supplies of drugs and equipment. "A large number of people becoming sick over the course of a few days could overwhelm a hospital or care facility," Dr. Lisa Maragakis, a Johns Hopkins medicine professor, says.

Governments and private-sector forecasters watch ongoing case counts carefully to be sure that the curve stays below the zone that would renew pressure on health care systems.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Johns Hopkins: Coronavirus, social and physical distancing and self-quarantine

World Economic Forum: Coronavirus models and behavior

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.