Social Distancing Policies Research Articles

What of tomorrow night? Urban night im/mobilities in Venice

COVID-19 subjected people to unprecedented limitations on their personal mobility that have had severe repercussions in many economic and social environments. Tourism and nightlife were among the most affected spheres of public life, and their sudden suspension catalysed recurring phases of immobility. In addition, the implementation of social distancing and curfew policies turned a large part of the world’s population into immobile night-time subjects. Drawing on the legacy of these pandemic experiences, this analysis combines mobility with night studies to provide a nuanced understanding of the continuing process of the co-production of local urban nights and their atmospheres via the new interpretive lens of night im/mobility. To engage in a practical application of this lens, this analysis focuses on the evening and night-time economy of Venice’s historic city centre during the pandemic.

Emergence of the Metaverse and Psychiatric Concerns in Children and Adolescents.

Advancements in digital technology have led to increased usage of digital devices among teenagers. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the subsequent implementation of social distancing policies have further accelerated this change. Consequently, a new concept called the metaverse has emerged. The metaverse is a combination of a virtual reality universe that allows individuals to meet, socialize, work, play, entertain, and create. This review provides an overview of the concept and main features of the metaverse and examples of its utilization in the real world. It also explains the unique developmental characteristics of childhood and adolescence, as well as the possible negative influences of the metaverse on them, including addiction, antisocial behavior, cyberbullying, and identity confusion. This review summarizes several suggestions for future research because the metaverse is a relatively new concept.

The Impact of COVID-19 Prevention Policy on Stock Market Return of China

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, China implemented emergency epidemic prevention and control measures, which played a positive role in economic and social development as well as the containment of the epidemic. Based on stock trading data from February 2020 to December 2022, this paper examines the impact of these measures on the stock returns of A-share listed companies. The findings of the study indicate that social distancing and health measures generally increase stock market returns, despite the varying magnitude of their effects. In addition, the analysis of two aspects, namely the listed sectors and the industry response analysis, further corroborates the main conclusion that social distancing policies have a more pronounced effect on the stock market. The study helps investors understand how the stock market responds to government announcements and enables policymakers to further explore the impact of policy responses during major public health events and their influence on economic and social welfare.

How have digital mobility platforms responded to COVID-19 and why does this matter for ‘the urban’?

Digital mobility platforms have become increasingly pervasive over the last decade or so in a wide variety of urban contexts. Much digital mobility platform activity has focused on city centres and urban cores, where returns on investment are often seen to be greatest, where existing transport infrastructure can be thick and where there are concentrated circulations of people. The global spread of coronavirus from early 2020 resulted in widespread policies of social distancing and lockdowns. Though there was a geographical unevenness to such policies, COVID-19 saw dramatic reductions in urban public transport provision and use, and new forms of experimentation with urban infrastructures, including with digital mobility platforms. How digital mobility platforms have responded to COVID-19 is not clearly understood and requires systematic research engagement. To address this we ask: how have digital mobility platforms responded to COVID-19 and what are the implications of this for ‘the urban’? We develop a stylised understanding of six digital platform responses to COVID-19. The status of these six responses is that they are synthetic and propositional and need to be systematically tested in a variety of actually existing urban contexts.

Social distancing policy and mental health during COVID-19 pandemic: an 18-month longitudinal cohort study in South Korea.

Despite the effectiveness of social distancing policies in preventing the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), their impact on mental health remains a concern. Longitudinal studies investigating the psychological effects of social distancing are limited. Longitudinal data on psychological variables were collected eight times between May 2020 and November 2021 through online surveys in South Korea. The participants in the study reported a worsening of depressive and anxiety symptoms, suicide risk, and psychological distress with increasing levels of social distancing. Specifically, during the third wave, when social distancing levels peaked, the highest levels of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress were observed, and the second-lowest levels of vitality were reported. Furthermore, psychological risk factors, such as depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal risk, were closely associated with vitality levels in daily life. During the pandemic, although social distancing helped prevent the spread of COVID-19, it also led to increased depression, anxiety, suicide risk, psychological distress, and decreased vitality. Engagement at a personal level in fundamental daily activities is important to cope with psychological distress. Our results indicate that commitment to fundamental daily activities and following routines is an important protective factor against psychological distress, notwithstanding COVID-19.

COVID-19, bank risk, and capital regulation: The aggregate shock and social distancing

In this study, we introduce a novel spatial framework to examine the impact of the aggregate shock and social distancing policies stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic on banks' incentives to monitor entrepreneurs. Our findings reveal that banks raise their loan rates to compensate for losses caused by the aggregate shock, which, in turn, enhances their monitoring efforts. However, the default probability still rises. The government's expansionary monetary policy, implemented in response to the COVID-19 crisis, can help mitigate these effects. Additionally, social distancing measures have led to either increased customer service or higher preparation costs for entrepreneurs seeking loans, both of which ultimately benefit the banks' monitoring efforts. We further explore social welfare analysis, the role of capital regulation, and several other relevant extensions.

Government Support During COVID-19 and Corruption

We analyze the allocation and effectiveness of government support in response to the COVID-19 outbreak across a nationally representative sample of firms in 32 countries representing different levels of institutional transparency. The probability of receiving government support is higher for larger firms, firms belonging to business support groups and innovative firms in low corruption countries. In high corruption, countries firms competing against unregistered establishments, with lack of internationally recognized quality certification and no formalized business strategy are more likely to receive government support. Using the panel structure of the data to address reverse causality, selection bias and unobserved heterogeneity, we then find that government support improves firm-level outcomes more strongly in low corruption countries. Among different types of government support, we find wage subsidies to be more effective in high corruption countries while technical assistance for adoption of digital technologies in low corruption countries. In addition, social distancing and lockdown policies do not seem to be as effective in improving firm-level outcomes in high-corruption countries most likely because of weaker capacities to enforce such policies. These results show the importance of enhancing systems of accountability and enforcement procedures that will ensure that fiscal stimulus aid is deployed to benefit those who need it the most.

Evaluating the impact of test-trace-isolate for COVID-19 management and alternative strategies.

There are many contrasting results concerning the effectiveness of Test-Trace-Isolate (TTI) strategies in mitigating SARS-CoV-2 spread. To shed light on this debate, we developed a novel static-temporal multiplex network characterizing both the regular (static) and random (temporal) contact patterns of individuals and a SARS-CoV-2 transmission model calibrated with historical COVID-19 epidemiological data. We estimated that the TTI strategy alone could not control the disease spread: assuming R0 = 2.5, the infection attack rate would be reduced by 24.5%. Increased test capacity and improved contact trace efficiency only slightly improved the effectiveness of the TTI. We thus investigated the effectiveness of the TTI strategy when coupled with reactive social distancing policies. Limiting contacts on the temporal contact layer would be insufficient to control an epidemic and contacts on both layers would need to be limited simultaneously. For example, the infection attack rate would be reduced by 68.1% when the reactive distancing policy disconnects 30% and 50% of contacts on static and temporal layers, respectively. Our findings highlight that, to reduce the overall transmission, it is important to limit contacts regardless of their types in addition to identifying infected individuals through contact tracing, given the substantial proportion of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Examining associations between remote work and anxiety and depression: a longitudinal survey study in Israel

IntroductionAccumulating evidence points at increases in mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been attributed, among other things, to social distancing policies, such as the shift to remote...

Impacts of public health and social measures on COVID-19 in Europe: a review and modified Delphi technique.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 led countries to implement a set of public health and social measures (PHSMs) attempting to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This study aims to review the existing literature regarding key results of the PHSMs that were implemented, and to identify the PHSMs considered to have most impacted the epidemiological curve of COVID-19 over the last years during different stages of the pandemic. The PHSM under study were selected from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT), supplemented by topics presented during the Rapid Exchange Forum (REF) meetings in the scope of the Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) project (H2020). The evidence- based review was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines to identify which reviews have already been published about each PHSMs and their results. In addition, two modified Delphi panel surveys were conducted among subject matter experts from 30 European countries to uphold the results found. There were 3,212 studies retrieved from PubMed, 162 full texts assessed for eligibility and 35 included in this PHSMs summary. The measures with clearest evidence on their positive impact from the evidence-based review include social distancing, hygiene measures, mask measures and testing policies. From the modified Delphi panel, the PHSMs considered most significant in the four periods analyzed were case isolation at home, face coverings, testing policy, and social distancing, respectively. The evidence found has significant implications for both researchers and policymakers. The study of PHSMs' impact on COVID-19 illustrates lessons learned for future pan- and epidemics, serving as a contribution to the health systems resilience discussion. These lessons, drawn from both the available scientific evidence and the perspectives of relevant subject matter experts, should also be considered in educational and preparedness programs and activities in the public health space.

Influence of Cultural Landscapes on Visitors’ Behavior in the Context of COVID-19 Social Distancing Policies: A Case Study of Open Public Spaces Inside Gyeongbok Palace

Background and objective: Many studies have highlighted the psychological benefits of natural outdoor environments and cultural heritage sites for visitors. However, few studies have investigated the combined impact of natural outdoor settings and cultural heritage sites considering contextual factors such as gender, age, time of day, and period on visiting patterns. This study aims to identify the impact of cultural landscapes on visiting patterns, focusing on the open public spaces of Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul.Methods: A mixed-method approach was used to examine the association between cultural landscape elements and visiting patterns. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were employed to assess how the cultural landscape affected visiting patterns from 2019 to 2021, considering the impact of COVID-19 social distancing policies. An on-site visit observation and analysis of previous case studies were conducted to further investigate the impacts of cultural landscape elements on visitors' behavior patterns.Results: The findings indicated that the cultural landscape played a role in shaping visitors' behaviors and revealed significant variations in visitation patterns based on visitors' age and the day of the week. A strong positive correlation was observed between teenagers and weekday visits, especially in 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions were in place and students were taking online classes. Furthermore, the results showed a noticeable increase in correlation scores in 2021 compared with those in 2019, supporting the notion of heritage sites serving as healing and relaxing places for people to enjoy as they age.Conclusion: The study findings provide an empirical basis for studying cultural heritage assets and other natural outdoor environments as a type of cultural landscape to enhance visitor satisfaction and provide positive benefits to visitors. It highlights the importance of preserving and promoting cultural landscapes as integrated systems of natural and cultural resources, which can be applied to heritage policies and management strategies.

Feeling Lonely, Engaging Online During the Outbreak of COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study of Chinese Older Adults.

There is growing concern that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated social distancing policies may exacerbate mental health problems in older adults. Most studies primarily have focused on developed countries, whereas the mental consequences of the pandemic in developing countries are less well known. This study evaluates the influences of the global pandemic in relation to loneliness and family contact among older Chinese adults and examines the roles of internet adoption in alleviating the emotional experience of loneliness. We run individual fixed effects regression models using the 2018 and 2020 waves of the Chinese Family Panel Studies survey with 4,944 respondents aged 60 and above to capture the average within-person changes before and after the first outbreak of COVID-19 in China. We further examine the mediating effects of internet adoption on loneliness using structural equation modeling (SEM). Simultaneous SEM tested the effects of internet literacy and social network site use, and heterogeneous effects analyses were also conducted across subgroups. Fixed effects estimates indicated increased loneliness and decreased family contact during the pandemic. Moreover, more older adults were found to use the internet in 2020. The fixed-effect estimations and structural equation models consistently found that older adults' use of the internet contributed to more social contacts and virtual meetings with their children, which have alleviated the emotional experience of loneliness. Digital inclusion of older adults to adopt the internet can be beneficial to improve mental well-being and alleviate loneliness during times of pandemic crisis. The targeted acceleration of digitalization to reduce the digital divide needs to be considered.

Changes in Sales of Tobacco and Nicotine Replacement Therapy Products Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated social distancing policies such as lockdowns and quarantine influenced people's lives and health behaviors. We comprehensively assessed national trends in sales of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, and over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products before and during the pandemic, allowing for cross-product comparisons. Stockpiling behavior was also assessed. We used US national tobacco and over-the-counter NRT retail store scanner data (excluding internet, specialty/vape store, and prescription sales) collected at 4-week intervals by NielsenIQ from December 2018 to June 2021. We applied an interrupted time-series model to assess differences in tobacco product and NRT unit sales before and during the pandemic. We defined the prepandemic period as December 16, 2018, through April 4, 2020, pandemic as starting on April 5, 2020, through June 26, 2021, and the stockpiling period as one 4-week period before the pandemic started. Four-week cigarette, e-cigarette, and cigar unit sales on average increased by 11.5% (P = .006), 37.1% (P < .001), and 26.1% (P < .001) respectively, while 4-week NRT unit sales decreased on average by 13.1% (P < .001), during the pandemic compared with the prepandemic period. Stockpiling was associated with increases in sales of all tobacco products and NRT products. Unit sales of assessed tobacco products increased while NRT unit sales decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the prepandemic period. These changes may suggest an increase in the intensity of tobacco product use or stockpiling of tobacco products among people who use tobacco.

The COVID-19 pandemic&amp;apos;s impact on prostate cancer screening and diagnosis in Korea

Background: The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which started in early 2020, has had multiple impacts on cancer care. This study assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced prostate cancer (PCa) screening and diagnosis in South Korea. Methods: Patients who visited the outpatient clinic at a single institution for PCa evaluation were included in this study and divided into a pre-COVID-19 group and a COVID-19 pandemic group, based on the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing policies on March 1, 2020. The number of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, patients with elevated PSA levels, and prostate biopsy results were analyzed. Results: In total, 8,926 PSA tests were administered during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 15,654 before the pandemic (p&lt;0.05). Of 2,132 patients with high PSA levels, 1,055 (49.5%) received prostate biopsies before the pandemic and 1,077 (50.5%) did so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic group had a higher detection rate of PC, and increased rates of Gleason scores (GS) 7 and 9–10, while the rate of GS 6 decreased compared to the pre-COVID-19 group (p&lt;0.05). The rate of clinically significant PCa (csPCa) was also higher during the pandemic (p&lt;0.05). In both magnetic resonance imaging-guided and standard biopsies, the GS 6 rate decreased, and the csPCa rate increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (each, p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the detection rate of prostate biopsies and the rate of csPCa increased significantly. Thus, PCa was diagnosed at a more advanced state in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inovasi Pelajar dan Penggunaan Sistem Teknologi Pendidikan Baru Setelah Pandemi COVID-19

This study aims to identify the factors that influence the use of a new online learning system by students in tertiary institutions, especially in Indonesia. The results of the research show that students' innovativeness has a positive influence on their willingness to use the system. In addition, learning interactions in a subject can increase student learning satisfaction. Innovation can also link between learning satisfaction, intention to use the system, and the expected impact of the system. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing policies, the new online learning system has become a necessary educational service. Although many universities have shifted back to in-person courses, online learning systems can be a meaningful complement to traditional learning methods. This study emphasizes the importance of students' innovativeness in adopting a new online learning system. Good interaction between instructors and students is also important to increase learning satisfaction. The findings of this study indicate that instructors and universities need to provide new opportunities to increase students' willingness and motivation to take online courses and interact in learning. However, keep in mind that this study has some limitations. The data used in this study is limited to students majoring in management and other fields in Indonesia. Furthermore, future research can broaden the scope by involving data from universities in other countries.&#x0D; Key words: Learner Innovation, Mixed Learning, Learning Interaction Education, Management Educational Innovation

Mental Health at the Workplace: Rights of Employees

In several ways, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly altered social and working environments. Social distancing policies, mandatory lockdowns, isolation periods, and the fear of becoming ill, in addition to the suspension of productive activity, loss of income, and fear of the future, all have an impact on citizens' and workers' mental health. Workplace factors can have a significant effect on whether people's mental health improves or deteriorates due to the pandemic. This article discusses Malaysian law's position on mental health and whether employers can be held liable for their employees' mental health. The goal of this article is to examine the legal aspects of workplace mental health issues. We conducted doctrinal research on existing laws and policies focusing on workers' rights issues related to mental health in the workplace during the pandemic. It is discovered that, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and sleep disorders are more likely to affect healthcare workers, particularly those on the frontlines, migrant workers, and workers in contact with the public. Job insecurity, long periods of isolation, and uncertainty about the future exacerbate the psychological condition, particularly among younger people and higher educational backgrounds. Therefore, numerous organisational and job-related interventions can help mitigate this scenario, but the regulatory mechanisms governing this matter must be clearly defined.

Re-configuring the Rights to Education Through Play with Painting and Clay Modelling among Children Affected by the Psychosocial Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic

The devastating COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the closure of all schools for nearly a year, violated articles 43(1)f, 53(1)b, and 55(a) of Kenya’s 2010 constitution on the right to education. The Government of Kenya deprived UNDP-SGDs (2015) of goals on quality education and UNICEF (2018); Every Child Learns when enforcing the social distance policy, a direction of World Health Organization (WHO) (2020) preventive measures. Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF (2018) cautioned that any attempt to inhibit child learning’s welfare, such as play, would harm growth and development in early childhood. Modern educationalists have asserted that play with art plays a role in cognitive and social learning as an extension of recreation and elaboration of their conflicts. The paper aims to reconfigure rights to education on play with paintings and clay modelling among children affected by the psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher has focused on descriptive desktop research design art bases research activities such as playing with painting and clay modelling; it has examined the literature on psychoanalysis tools to create a discussion on the paper. The paper acknowledged the mission of WHO (2020), UNDP-SDGs (2015), UNICEF (2018), and Article 53(1)d of the Kenyan 2010 Constitution on Good Health for All Children. It has merited play with painting and clay modelling as a profound tool to re-configure rights to education among children affected by the psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the paper suggested a campaign workshop or seminars for play with painting and clay modelling to champion the right to education among children in schools

Remote working and work performance during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of remote work satisfaction, digital literacy, and cyberslacking

ABSTRACT Social distancing policies ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic have altered working conditions and created new job demands. This study adopted the Job Demands−Resources (JD−R) model to investigate the relationship between demands and strains (i.e. social isolation, remote work stress, and fear of COVID-19) and remote work satisfaction and remote work performance. Additionally, the study sought to identify the moderating roles of employees’ digital literacy and cyberslacking in the relationship between remote work satisfaction and remote work performance. After analysing data collected from a sample of 340 Iranian remote workers, results showed social isolation, remote work stress, and fear of COVID-19 related to remote work satisfaction negatively and decrease remote work performance through the mediation of remote work satisfaction. Moreover, digital literacy and cyberslacking moderated the relationship between remote work satisfaction and remote work performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. By linking job demands and strains, psychological states, and employee output, this research notably contributes to the literature on remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Telerehabilitation of spinal cord injury in limited resources setting during COVID-19 pandemic: A case report

Link of Video Abstract: https://youtu.be/f6IaLnu3sz8 Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation is a resource-intensive and time-consuming process and this is problem in particular for patients from a rural, remote areas, or low socioeconomic backgrounds. This problem is further exacerbated by social restriction policies in place due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This case report aimed to describe how telerehabilitation could overcome these challenges Case presentation: A 20-year-old female involved in a motor vehicle accident. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated a complete burst fracture of the L1 vertebral body. The patient experiences paraplegia and loss of autonomic control. Long spine fusion was performed. After being discharged, the patient could only visit the hospital once one-month post-surgery due to personal financial reasons and COVID-19-related social distancing policy. Telerehabilitation was used for the remaining follow-ups and rehabilitation programs were monitored through instant messaging platform between the patient, the operating surgeon, and the rehabilitation specialist. Telerehabilitation using instant messaging was an affordable and practical platform of communication for patient self-reporting and monitoring of progress. With intensive telerehabilitation program, the patient’s functional abilities recovered from Frankel B to D after 6 months of following the domiciliary telerehabilitation plan. Conclusion: We report a case of satisfactory functional outcome of SCI rehabilitation following the use of instant messaging to assist the rehabilitation. This highlights that instant messaging may be utilized to guide the rehabilitation process with the consideration of other factors such as the patient's engagement and the healthcare provider’s commitment. We recommend for further refinements in the adoption and use of telerehabilitation for orthopaedic and traumatology cases that need long-term rehabilitation.

Direct indicators of social distancing effectiveness in COVID-19 outbreak stages: a correlational analysis of case contacts and population mobility in Korea.

The effectiveness of social distancing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been evaluated using the magnitude of changes in population mobility. This study aimed to investigate a direct indicator-namely, the number of close contacts per patient with confirmed COVID-19. From week 7, 2020 to week 43, 2021, population movement changes were calculated from the data of two Korean telecommunication companies and Google in accordance with social distancing stringency levels. Data on confirmed cases and their close contacts among residents of Gyeonggi Province, Korea were combined at each stage. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to compare the movement data with the change in the number of contacts for each confirmed case calculated by stratification according to age group. The reference value of the population movement data was set using the value before mid-February 2020, considering each data's characteristics. In the age group of 18 or younger, the number of close contacts per confirmed case decreased or increased when the stringency level was strengthened or relaxed, respectively. In adults, the correlation was relatively low, with no correlation between the change in the number of close contacts per confirmed case and the change in population movement after the commencement of vaccination for adults. The effectiveness of governmental social distancing policies against COVID-19 can be evaluated using the number of close contacts per confirmed case as a direct indicator, especially for each age group. Such an analysis can facilitate policy changes for specific groups.