If we treated COVID-19 recommendations as rules, we’d be much better off.

The COVID-19 pandemic rages on, with escalating infections and staggering numbers of deaths. Thankfully, newly emerging vaccines promise relief in the near future.

But far too many have already suffered and died, with tens of thousands still to be lost in the coming months.

As a psychologist, I’m critically aware of the role that human behavior has played throughout the pandemic. In the absence of vaccines, we have largely had to rely on behavioral interventions to try to reduce the global impact of the virus.

We all know the basic guidelines by now. Wear a mask. Observe social distancing. Wash your hands. Avoid large groups of people.

However, these public health messages are fatally flawed. Unless mandated by state or local officials, these desired behaviors are typically presented as “guidelines” or “recommendations.”

But guidelines and recommendations carry no real weight. It’s long been recommended that we take vitamins, stop smoking, get regular exercise, and eat a nutritious diet.

If we all consistently followed these recommendations, the prevalence of many chronic health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cancer would decrease dramatically. (Eliminating smoking would save an estimated 480,000 lives each year in the US alone.)

But human nature is such that most of us don’t do what’s best for us. A big part of this challenge is that these behavior changes are really difficult to sustain successfully.

Also, we don’t like anyone to tell us what to do, as it stirs up various thoughts and feelings, such as “You can’t make me do that,” “I’ll do what I darn well please,” and “Don’t restrict my freedom.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, epidemiologists and public health officials quickly began to offer “guidelines” and “recommendations” for what we needed to do to keep things from getting worse.

What was our response? Like most human responses, it was inconsistent. Many of us listened and tried to do our best to follow the recommendations.

Many others ignored the recommendations, through rationalization (“It’s just the flu”), denial (“It’s not real”) or irresponsible conduct (“Party on!”).

Case in point. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear recently “recommended” that people avoid in-person shopping. So why is the parking lot at the mall full right now?

Let’s look at this from a different angle. What if it were only “recommended” to wear seat belts, take a driving test to get a license, and observe speed limits? Without these requirements, auto accidents and fatalities would be much greater.

Or what if it was just a “guideline” for surgeons to wash their hands before an operation or for pilots to complete a safety checklist before takeoff?

Perhaps we can learn from our missteps with COVID-19 so we can do better next time.

Here’s how it should go for the next pandemic.

A new virus emerges. We know it’s spreading. We don’t know how deadly it is and we don’t yet have a vaccine.

We immediately declare a national emergency and issue temporary nationwide rules. As a start, everyone wears a mask in public, observes social distancing, and avoids large crowds.

If things begin to worsen significantly, additional temporary restrictions could roll out as needed based on case numbers.

This may sound authoritarian. You don’t want to be told what to do and to have your freedoms restricted.

But this is where patriotism, sacrifice, compassion and community enter the conversation.

If we all follow these simple rules for a short period of time, we can reduce suffering and save thousands of lives. This, in turn reduces the longer-term toll on our economy, our schools, and of course, keeps many people who are dear to us alive.

It’s been estimated that well over 100,000 lives can be saved in the US if we all wear masks right now. Let’s treat that “recommendation” as if it were a rule. We still have time to make a huge difference.

David Susman is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky.