The Effect of Large-Scale Anti-Contagion Policies on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Solomon Hsiang; Daniel Allen; Sebastien Annan-Phan; Kendon Bell; Ian Bolliger; Trinetta Chong; Hannah Druckenmiller; Andrew Hultgren; Luna Yue Huang; Emma Krasovich; Peiley Lau; Jaecheol Lee; Esther Rolf; Jeanette Tseng; Tiffany Wu

(whether cultural, sporting, recreational, or religious). Depending on the country, the policy can prohibit a gathering above a certain size, in which case the number of people is specified by the " No_gathering_size " variable. g. " no_demonstration ": A policy that prohibits protest-specific gatherings. See the section on Korean policy for more information on this policy variable. h. " social_distance ": A policy that encourages people to maintain a safety distance (often between one to two meters) from others. This policy differs by country, but includes other policies that close cultural institutions (e.g. museums or libraries), or encourage establishments to reduce density, such as limiting restaurant hours. 3. Quarantine and lockdown: a. " pos_cases_quarantine ": A policy that mandates that people who have tested positive for COVID-19, or subject to quarantine measures, have to confine themselves at home. The policy can also include encouraging people who have fevers or respiratory symptoms to stay at home, regardless of whether they tested positive or not. b. " home_isolation ": A policy that prohibits people from leaving their home regardless of their testing status. For some countries, the policy can also include the case when people have to stay at home, but are allowed to leave for work-or health-related purposes. For the latter case, when the policy is moderate, this is coded as ' home_isolation = 0.5.' 4. Additional policies a. " emergency_declaration ": A decision made at the city/municipality, county, state/provincial, or federal level to declare a state of emergency. This allows the affected area to marshal emergency funds and resources as well as activate emergency legislation. b. " paid_sick_leave ": A policy where employees receive pay while they are not working due to the illness.