In a retrospective ecological study published in BMJ Open, it was revealed that gastrointestinal (GI) outbreaks in England had reduced by 50% in the initial 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to a similar period from 2015-2019.It was observed that during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 response, there was a 52% decrease in GI outbreaks reported (1544 vs 3208 (95% CI 2938 to 3478)) and a 34% decrease in laboratory-confirmed cases (27 859 vs 42 495 (95% CI 40 068 to 44 922)) compared to the 5-year average of 2015–2019.There were 27,859 lab-confirmed cases during the 6-month pandemic period versus an average of 42,495 over the same weeks during the 5 years before COVID. The decrease in GI infections during the pandemic might be multifactorial. Good adherence to hygiene and social distancing measures implemented during the pandemic might have reduced the incidence of infections and had protective effects against various pathogens. (MedPage Today, March 21, 2022; BMJ Open 2022;12:e050469. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050469)