Around the world the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged borders. Governments have shut their borders to travel or layered in quarantine, testing, and vaccination requirements. This “new normal” for borders has severely challenged mobility between nations, including within regional blocks such as the European Union. It has also done the same within nations. Even more locally, restrictions on access to long-term care homes and hospitals are their own kind of border control.
Border closures can work to stymie the spread of a virus. But they come at a cost. Industries and livelihoods reliant on travel can be impacted. Supply chains of food, medical supplies, and other necessities can be compromised. The ability of migrants and refugees to access safe havens can be jeopardized. Travel restrictions may effectively discriminate against countries with unequal access to vaccines. Some governments may use COVID as a guise for border measures that are actually motivated by political opportunism.
How should we rethink our approach to borders, both within this pandemic and in pandemics to come? Borders, Boundaries, Pandemics brings together speakers from across disciplines and across the world to explore the answers.
Conference program — The majority of presentations will be in English. | Registration — Students interested in attending the conference virtually may contact bioethics@pitt.edu to learn about scholarships to attend free.
Sponsored by the University of Ottawa Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics
Location and Address
Hybrid — Zoom and at the University of Ottawa