Countries entering a third COVID-19 wave are once again freezing elective and non-urgent surgeries, worsening backlogs that modelling suggests could take months or even years to clear. The impact is felt on both sides: patients face worsening pain, disability, and declining quality of life—sometimes to the point of rating their health as “worse than death”—while hospitals struggle with major revenue losses. Although many patients initially feared contracting COVID-19 during hospital stays, emerging evidence shows infection rates during elective admissions are low when proper protocols are followed, and willingness to proceed with surgery is steadily rising. Several groups have proposed structured frameworks to guide a safe restart, including OE’s PREPARE NOW strategy, all aiming to rebuild capacity while minimizing risk.