International Comparison of Behavior Changes with Social Distancing Policies in Response to COVID-19

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads globally, and its vaccine or drug is yet to be developed, many countries worldwide now resort to social distancing policies as effective non-pharmaceutical interventions. However, its effectiveness varies from country to country, and the factors responsible for such variations are not yet known. In this study, preliminary analysis of the international comparison of behavior changes that accompany social distancing policies is conducted using Google Community Mobility Reports, wherein ratios of behavior changes with social distance policy in 131 countries around the world are published. When these changes are analyzed using the generalized linear mixed model, it shows that the status of the infection spread and policy implementation uniformly influence behavior restrictions across every country. Furthermore, it suggests that the differences in the key contents of the social distancing policies and the socioeconomic status of each country may influence the ratio of behavior changes.

Keywords: COVID-19, non-pharmaceutical interventions, social distancing, mobility data