Abstract
Deriving effective mobility control measures is critical for the control of COVID-19 spreading. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries and regions implemented travel restrictions and quarantines to reduce human mobility and thus reduce virus transmission. But since human mobility decreased heterogeneously, we lack empirical evidence of the extent to which the reductions in mobility alter the way people from different regions of cities are connected, and what containment policies could complement mobility reductions to conquer the pandemic. Here, we examined individual movements in 21 of the most affected counties in the United States, showing that mobility reduction leads to a segregated place network and alters its relationship with pandemic spread. Our findings suggest localized area-specific policies, such as geo-fencing, as viable alternatives to city-wide lockdown for conquering the pandemic after mobility was reduced.
Highlights
Deriving effective mobility control measures is critical for the control of COVID-19 spreading
This limitation may lead to an overestimation of the effectiveness of existing containment measures based on mobility reduction and create barriers to generate complementary policies[12]
Our finding—that census block groups (CBGs) are connected in a sparser mobility network—suggests that a substantial spatial divide is achieved due to mobility reductions, and such a divide provides opportunities for area-specific containment policies, such as geo-fencing or ZIP-code lockdown, to further isolate CBGs with a greater incidence of infections
Summary
Deriving effective mobility control measures is critical for the control of COVID-19 spreading. Since human mobility decreased heterogeneously, we lack empirical evidence of the extent to which the reductions in mobility alter the way people from different regions of cities are connected, and what containment policies could complement mobility reductions to conquer the pandemic. As actual population movements reduced h eterogeneously[11], the results from theoretical models and simulations would be less useful if their assumptions on mobility reduction were inconsistent with the empirical evidence. This limitation may lead to an overestimation of the effectiveness of existing containment measures based on mobility reduction and create barriers to generate complementary policies[12]. Our finding—that CBGs are connected in a sparser mobility network—suggests that a substantial spatial divide is achieved due to mobility reductions, and such a divide provides opportunities for area-specific containment policies, such as geo-fencing or ZIP-code lockdown, to further isolate CBGs with a greater incidence of infections
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