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Decomposing the role of mobility restrictions in controlling COVID-19 outcomes: a regional level study of the Philippines

Ammielou Gaduena (Rizalino S Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness, Asian Institute of Management, Makati City, Philippines)
Christopher Ed Caboverde (Rizalino S Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness, Asian Institute of Management, Makati City, Philippines)
John Paul Flaminiano (Rizalino S Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness, Asian Institute of Management, Makati City, Philippines)
Regina Yvette Romero (Rizalino S Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness, Asian Institute of Management, Makati City, Philippines)

International Journal of Health Governance

ISSN: 2059-4631

Article publication date: 5 July 2022

Issue publication date: 21 October 2022

61

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore empirically the interactions between the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, economic mobility and containment policy to test the effectiveness of mobility restrictions in controlling the spread of the disease.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used weekly regional data for the 17 Philippine regions and estimated the effect of shocks using a panel vector autoregression (VAR) model.

Findings

The authors conclude that COVID-19 deaths and incidence primarily respond to shocks that affect the lethality and transmissibility of the disease, and mobility restrictions and strict quarantine levels do not seem to have any impact on these outcomes. The movement of people during this pandemic period, on the other hand, seems to respond more to economic factors and government restrictions and less to the presence of and the characteristics of the disease.

Originality/value

Since the pandemic is a public bad, community cooperation is a must to address it. Clear government messaging that dispels doubts on the safety of the newly developed vaccines and that encourages public acceptance and trust might be a better nudge compared to a heavy-handed and threatening approach.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the funding support by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Philippines.

Citation

Gaduena, A., Caboverde, C.E., Flaminiano, J.P. and Romero, R.Y. (2022), "Decomposing the role of mobility restrictions in controlling COVID-19 outcomes: a regional level study of the Philippines", International Journal of Health Governance, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 410-424. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-03-2022-0038

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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