Regional disparities in Covid and mobility in the Czech Republic (with patterns for employment)

Abstract

The research question is if an increase in pandemics corresponds with significant changes in mobility (supported by the public stay-at-home orders and willing decrease of movements) by the spheres of economic activities (parks (leisure time spending), grocery stores, workplaces, pharmacies, transportation stations, retail, recreation, and home) in the Czech Republic. The additional research question is if this pattern correlates with a high decrease in salaries and employment. This paper aims to answer these research questions. This research applies the graphical analysis and fixed-effects regression methods for high-frequency data for answering these questions. The main result is that an increase in the number of infected people significantly decreases human mobility and increases their visits to pharmacies and staying at homes. At the same time, the government support measures can be effective, because there is no huge drop in salaries and employment in the Czech Regions. This pattern contradicts the expectations based on the US patterns. The output of the regression analysis is that 2-5 thousand new infections a day can paralyze mobility in the entire region.

Unveiling the Digital Paradox: Assessing the Socio-Economic Impact of Enhanced Internet and Technological Infrastructure in Czech Rural Area

“…The COVID-19 pandemic should theoretically have favoured the theory of technological optimism and increased the significance of the results of our study. Our previous research (Shemetev et al, 2021) provided strong evidence of a pattern of increased remote work or preference for quiet environments during the pandemic. Therefore, if individuals had better infrastructure in rural areas, they would theoretically have been able to work from home or enjoy a peaceful rural environment, which could additionally provide maximum security in terms of COVID-19 (with fewer personal contacts compared to urban areas [lower risk of infection], better family life, more space and less stress (Wirth, 1969;Woods, 2011)).…”

Accessibility Changes and Their Perception By the Elderly After the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…The following factors affecting the elderly during COVID convalescence were looked into in Czechia. Shemetev et al's study (2) examines whether an increase in pandemics is associated with appreciable changes in mobility (supported by public orders to stay at home and willing decreases in movements) in the Czech various economic sectors, including parks, supermarkets, workplaces, pharmacies, transportation hubs, retail, and homes. The second question is whether or not this pattern is linked to a sharp drop in wages and jobs.…”