Coase and Ebola

The Coaseian approach generally is one that if there is a cost to a second party as a result of a first party then the most efficient remedy if transaction costs are zero is to litigate. That is my rephrasing anyhow. This is in contrast to the Government trying to create a law that covers everyone. This of course assumes that the act and actor can be defined and that the damages quantified. We have many such minor cases arise all the time. They generally get settled.

Now to horses. If one has a horse, a very health horse, and one wants to use it in some event in another country then one must quarantine it in the departing country and have it examined before it is allowed to enter the other country. Just look at the Olympics equestrian events. We test for TB on incoming visitors from certain regions.

Now to plants. A couple of decades ago I spent time collecting bryophytes all over Hawaii. From the top of the mountains to the lowest levels. Then before I could bring them back to the mainland I had to wash them in isopropyl alcohol and declare them at the airport to the Department of Agriculture inspector. Made sense.

Yet one can come back to the US having been exposed to the greatest degree to Ebola, heroic as it may have been, and then wander all over New York. Now to Coase. Perhaps if it results in some cost then perhaps one may then seek a Coaseian remedy. Yet in this case it truly requires a Government response. Respect the great efforts but use common sense. A form of quarantine is essential, if for no other reason than to stop the mass concern.

Now to the truly striking, the New York Police dumping their protective Ebola garb into a trash can. In MedCity News they write:

New York City’s Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett said Spencer “was transported by a specially trained HAZ TAC unit wearing Personal Protective Equipment.” Instead of going to the emergency room, the man was taken directly to an isolation unit. But what’s also disturbing is a video posted by The Daily Mail showing police officers outside of Spencer’s apartment throwing away their gloves and masks in a street trash can. It’s unlikely that these guys had any direct contact with Spencer’s belongings or the inside of his apartment, but regardless, this doesn’t look good.

 Not only does it not look good but it clearly demonstrates a clear lack of command control. Where is the Precinct Lieutenant, or better the Captain, and why did this happen! Would this have happened with a New York born Police Commissioner, very doubtful? Or just one from Boston?

Update:

As expected there is now a quarantine. States seem to be more concerned about their citizens than the Feds. As Medscape reports:

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced the decision to impose quarantines this afternoon. Calls for this stringent measure have grown louder since Craig Spencer, MD, tested positive for the Ebola virus yesterday after he returned to New York City on October 17 from an assignment with Doctors Without Borders in Guinea. "Since taking office, I have erred on the side of caution when it comes to the safety and protection of New Yorkers, and the current situation regarding Ebola will be no different," Cuomo said in a news release. Christie added, "By demanding these enhanced measures, we are ensuring that any suspected cases are identified quickly and effectively, and that proper safeguards are executed."

 Over a hundred years of common sense kicks in finally.