Public health officials should
communicate that policy decisions by their very nature cannot be made solely on the basis of scientific evidence; they will always involve normative questions and tradeoffs of values;
communicate that the “science” is rarely so clear that the wise policy decision is self‐recommending and that even when science is clear and decisions seem straightforward, scientific knowledge can change because of new evidence; and
communicate that the first two points are especially true with the COVID-19 pandemic, given how little we know and how much of the evidence is in flux.
In medical and environmental policy, scientists play prominent roles in decisions. Agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency have scientific advisory councils that review the relevant scientific literature and advise policy decisionmakers about pollution exposure standards and pharmaceutical and medical device safety. When the decisions of governmental officials do not follow scientific recommendations, critical news coverage follows. The implication is that “science” is sufficient for policy decisions and that “politics” should not play a role.