Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

July 30, 2020

Social Distancing Responses to COVID-19 Emergency Declarations Strongly Differentiated by Income

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  • Weill et al. found that social distancing following US state-level emergency declarations substantially varied by income. Using mobility measures derived from mobile device location data, wealthier areas decreased mobility significantly more than poorer areas. Wealthy areas went from most mobile before the pandemic to least mobile, while the poorest areas went from least to most mobileThe authors suggest that previous research showinthat lower income communities have higher levels of preexisting health conditions and lower access to healthcare, coupled with lower income communities exhibiting greater mobility, suggests a double burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in these communities. 

Weill et al. (July 29, 2020). Social Distancing Responses to COVID-19 Emergency Declarations Strongly Differentiated by Income. PNAShttps://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2009412117