Testing before reopening the economy has emerged as one of the major areas of debate around when states should end COVID-related stay-at-home orders.

Proponents of universal or mass testing for COVID-19 before the economy can reopen argue universal testing is necessary to avoid a second wave and that universal testing will increase confidence among the populace about the safety of a reopened economy.

Opponents of universal or mass testing before the economy can reopen argue that representative samples of a population can provide sufficient information and that over-reliance on tests, which can produce false negatives, might give a false sense of security.

Ballotpedia has curated a taxonomy of the main arguments that have been advanced concerning universal or mass testing for COVID-19 before the economy can reopen. These arguments come from a variety of sources, including public officials, journalists, think tanks, economists, scientists, and other stakeholders.