Decomposing the Role of Mobility Restrictions in Controlling Covid-19 Outcomes: A Regional-Level Study of the Philippines

Research by: Ammielou Gaduena, Christopher Ed Caboverde, John Paul Flaminiano, & Regina Yvette Romero (Rizalino S. Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness economists)

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: COVID-19, mobility restrictions, google mobility data, Philippines, E60, E65

To cite this article: Gaduena, A., Caboverde, C.E., Flaminiano, J.P., & 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. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-03-2022-0038

To access this article: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-03-2022-0038

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International Journal of Health Governance (IJHG) is oriented to serve those at the policy and governance levels within government, healthcare systems or healthcare organizations. It bridges the academic, public and private sectors, presenting case studies, research papers, reviews and viewpoints from all manor of healthcare settings to provide an understanding of health governance that is both practical and actionable for practitioners, managers and policy makers.

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