“I value life, so that was really animating a lot of the decisions that I made. But a couple years out, and certainly with what’s happening now, that’s not the value that everyone holds. Some people value liberty over life.”

— Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody, reflecting on joining other Bay Area health officers in issuing shelter-in-place orders five years ago locking down the region to keep the COVID-19 pandemic in check. The lockdowns, initially to last weeks, were extended and proved controversial as their impact on livelihoods and school instruction were felt.