Economic and social consequences of human mobility restrictions under COVID-19

Abstract

<jats:p>In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several national governments have applied lockdown restrictions to reduce the infection rate. Here we perform a massive analysis on near–real-time Italian mobility data provided by Facebook to investigate how lockdown strategies affect economic conditions of individuals and local governments. We model the change in mobility as an exogenous shock similar to a natural disaster. We identify two ways through which mobility restrictions affect Italian citizens. First, we find that the impact of lockdown is stronger in municipalities with higher fiscal capacity. Second, we find evidence of a segregation effect, since mobility contraction is stronger in municipalities in which inequality is higher and for those where individuals have lower income per capita. Our results highlight both the social costs of lockdown and a challenge of unprecedented intensity: On the one hand, the crisis is inducing a sharp reduction of fiscal revenues for both national and local governments; on the other hand, a significant fiscal effort is needed to sustain the most fragile individuals and to mitigate the increase in poverty and inequality induced by the lockdown.</jats:p>

Decline in Mobility: Public Transport in Poland in the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Pepe et al (2020) observe a substantial human mobility reduction in Italy following the national lockdown. Similar results are also obtained a by Queiroz et al (2020) and Bonaccorsi et al (2020) who, based on regional analysis, observe the reduction in the circulation of people in most neighbourhoods after government social distancing policies implementation. Moreover, our research results correspond to the studies which focus on the impact of previous epidemics, particularly SARS and Ebola, on population changes in mobility (Wang 2014;Lau 2003;Peak et al 2018).…”

“…In their opinion, the degree of social distancing depends on the government policy, particularly the social campaign affecting perception of the coronavirus pandemic by people in different regions. Bonaccorsi et al (2020), Pepe et al (2020), Pullano et al (2020) and Queiroz et al (2020) indicate significant relationship between human mobility and government restriction tightening to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Warren and Skillman (2020) find that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in large reduction in mobility both in the US and globally.…”

Evaluating the effect of demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, and risk aversion on mobility during the COVID-19 epidemic in France under lockdown: a population-based study

“…Uneven mobility drops were also associated with socioeconomic disparities, similarly to findings in Italy. 22 Increasing evidence points to different socioeconomic strata getting uneven shares of the COVID-19 burden. 23 Higher-income jobs can often be done remotely and in confinement, whereas lower-income jobs often cannot.…”

The Experiences and Perceptions of Health-Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Muscat, Oman: A Qualitative Study

“… 25 Individuals who lived in low socio-economic conditions were more vulnerable to the disease and interventions of isolation and lock-downs may have restricted the mobility of this group of people leading to increased financial depression. 26 More work is needed to explore the financially affected individuals in Oman and the interventions taken to protect them socially and economically.…”