Virus thrives in ‘closed circuits’

One of the biggest challenges posed by the pandemic is that we cannot classify every section of the population that is responsible for spreading Covid-19.

There are mask deniers, for example, and people who continue to party without fear. There are the kooks and those who are contrary from birth. They are all distinct groups of the general category of people who feel immune from responsibility - and they walk among us. But apart from these people, there are also the "closed circuits," communities that would seem impervious to outside developments.

Take the village of Raptopoulo, population 250, in Agrafa, central Greece, for example. It was placed on total lockdown for seven days after becoming a coronavirus hot spot, with 30 cases, some of which are serious. Some festive event obviously brought together members of different households. The consequences were not long...