4Hoteliers
SEARCH
SHARE THIS PAGE
NEWSLETTERS
CONTACT US
SUBMIT CONTENT
ADVERTISING
Together Again: Physical Distancing on the Decline
By Era Dabla-Norris, Frederico Lima, and Hibah Khan
Friday, 13th November 2020
 

Earlier this year, stringent lockdowns and uncertainty about the severity and transmission of COVID-19 led to the widespread adoption of physical distancing measures across the world.

However, as COVID-19 outbreaks began to ebb and lockdowns eased over the summer, measures tracking mobility, such as Google Community Mobility Reports, showed that adherence to keeping our distance from others began to relax.

Our ongoing research finds that these increases in mobility were indeed matched by a significant decline in self-reported compliance for a range of recommended COVID-19 behaviors across many advanced and emerging economies.

"Many people were seeking to balance the behaviors recommended to slow the spread of the virus with the need to return to work."

Looking at data through September, this gradual decline in compliance with recommended COVID-19 behaviors appears to have followed on the heels of governments relaxing restrictive lockdowns earlier in the summer, including allowing shops, restaurants, and other businesses in the service sector to re-open.

Lower compliance may have also reflected a mix of fatigue and complacency with COVID-19 restrictions, especially since a disproportionate share of the decline was reported among younger people and other lower-risk groups.

However, the evidence shows that many people were seeking to balance the behaviors recommended to slow the spread of the virus with the need to return to work, care for family members, and maintain social contacts. We see this reflected in different trends across self-reported behaviors.

For example, we find that, on average, more people reported attending small social gatherings in September and fewer worked from home compared to March and April. This was accompanied by significantly higher rates of reported mask wearing, particularly in countries where mask wearing in public was initially not common.

Interestingly, there are significant differences in compliance with recommended COVID-19 behaviors across demographic groups. For example, women consistently reported higher adoption of physical distancing than men, even accounting for their employment status, household size, and number of children.

This is consistent with findings that women are more risk averse than men. So too did older people and other at-risk groups. People who trust their government’s response to COVID-19 were also more likely to adopt the recommended behaviors.

Trust in the government response appears to have declined in several countries, especially in those that had more severe COVID-19 outbreaks. This combination of eroding trust and lower compliance is likely to create challenges in the months ahead, as many countries face the possibility—and in some cases already the reality—of new COVID-19 outbreaks.

This article first appeared at the IMF Blog, a forum for the views of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and officials on pressing economic and policy issues of the day. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF and its Executive Board. Reprinted with permission

Global Brand Awareness & Marketing Tools at 4Hoteliers.com ...[Click for More]
 Latest News  (Click title to read article)




 Latest Articles  (Click title to read)




 Most Read Articles  (Click title to read)




~ Important Notice ~
Articles appearing on 4Hoteliers contain copyright material. They are meant for your personal use and may not be reproduced or redistributed. While 4Hoteliers makes every effort to ensure accuracy, we can not be held responsible for the content nor the views expressed, which may not necessarily be those of either the original author or 4Hoteliers or its agents.
© Copyright 4Hoteliers 2001-2024 ~ unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved.
You can read more about 4Hoteliers and our company here
Use of this web site is subject to our
terms & conditions of service and privacy policy