Dear Colleagues,

Covid-19 is changing the world. Not only does this pandemic challenge our daily lives in so many ways, it also impacts lawmakers, businesses, and politics. Will we be able to move beyond this crisis and still maintain many of the rights that we have enjoyed as private citizens in the past? Will some of those rights be curtailed because of the very pressing issue to get the spread of this pandemic or future pandemics under control? Will privacy ethics be balanced by governments around the globe, as they are on high alert and have started introducing apps that help track individuals’ movements in order to be able to predict when and where new infections may occur? Will companies be able to walk the fine line between business ethics and company survival? Many companies are developing mitigation plans to assure the safety of their employees and customers. Many politicians have developed communication plans to ensure that the population feels protected. How transparent will governments be, what actions will they take, and how will privacy ethics impact their policy making. In addition, the medical sector is developing plans to do better, faster, and more reliable testing in order to create projections and to better respond to medical needs in the future. Both vaccine development and antibody treatments have to be approved fast; in the USA, FDA approvals may be fast tracked, but how does this work in other countries around the world. Can doctors use approved drugs “off label” in order to find quicker remedies at their own volition? 

This Special Issue intends to cover current legal and ethical issues relating to the corona pandemic, including international, federal, regional, and local policy making; healthcare-related medical and privacy challenges; and company policies to protect both customers and employees, without overstepping ethical boundaries. We welcome contributions in these areas, including research-, theoretical-, policy-, and practice-based articles.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Schmidt
Guest Editor

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