Promoting Higher Social Distancing and Stay-at-Home Decisions During COVID-19: the Underlying Conflict Between Public Health and the Economy

2021 ◽  
pp. 105300
Author(s):  
Bachir Kassas ◽  
Rodolfo M. Nayga
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
At Home

How Quarantine Attempts to Universalize the Black Condition

2020 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 697-706
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Bezio
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Critical Race ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Chattel Slavery ◽  
Basic Goods ◽  
Black Bodies ◽  
The Right ◽  
At Home

Abstract This essay establishes similarities between control over Black bodies’ movement under chattel slavery and social distancing measures employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its primary concern is how protecting public health necessitates undesired movement on the part of marginalized, historically disenfranchised populations to secure supply chains and ensure access to basic goods, foodstuffs, and medicines for those sheltering at home. Structuring its claims within the critical race theories of Saidiya V. Hartman, Achille Mbembe, and Elizabeth Maddock Dillon, it draws attention to how an enslaved condition in which one lacked the right to choose to move or hold still is now being extended to a class of workers deemed essential.

scholarly journals The Politics of Pandemics: The Effect of Stay-At-Home Orders on COVID-19 Mitigation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Shawn Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Synthetic Control ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Contemporary Politics ◽  
Hospital Systems ◽  
At Home

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has upended every aspect of American life. State governments responded quickly to protect public health and stabilize overwhelmed hospital systems. The most restrictive policy, the stay-at-home order, was seen by public health officials as a cornerstone of successful state mitigation strategies. But like many aspects of contemporary politics, support for these efforts took on a distinctly partisan hue. In this paper, I argue that party politics significantly affected state policy responses to COVID-19, which in turn limited mitigation efforts. To this point, I first demonstrate that Democratic governors were faster and more likely to adopt stay-at-home orders than Republicans. Next, using a synthetic control approach, I show that these orders caused residents to practice greater social distancing. Finally, I find that greater social distancing worked to “flattened the curve” by limiting the growth of COVID-19 cases. Together these findings show how party politics affected state pandemic responses and have important long-term implications as states begin lifting restrictions.

scholarly journals “I don’t feel safe sitting in my own yard”: Chicago resident experiences with urban rats during a COVID-19 stay-at-home order

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen H. Murray ◽  
Kaylee A. Byers ◽  
Jacqueline Buckley ◽  
Seth B. Magle ◽  
Dorothy Maffei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Rodent Control ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Apartment Buildings ◽  
At Home

Abstract Background Encounters with rats in urban areas increase risk of human exposure to rat-associated zoonotic pathogens and act as a stressor associated with psychological distress. The frequency and nature of human-rat encounters may be altered by social distancing policies to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, restaurant closures may reduce food availability for rats and promote rat activity in nearby residential areas, thus increasing public health risks during a period of public health crisis. In this study, we aimed to identify factors associated with increased perceived exposure to rats during a stay-at-home order, describe residents’ encounters with rats relevant to their health and well-being, and identify factors associated with increased use of rodent control. Methods Urban residents in Chicago, a large city with growing concerns about rats and health disparities, completed an online questionnaire including fixed response and open-ended questions during the spring 2020 stay-at-home order. Analyses included ordinal multivariate regression, spatial analysis, and thematic analysis for open-ended responses. Results Overall, 21% of respondents (n = 835) reported an increase in rat sightings around their homes during the stay-at-home order and increased rat sightings was positively associated with proximity to restaurants, low-rise apartment buildings, and rat feces in the home (p ≤ 0.01). Many respondents described feeling unsafe using their patio or yard, and afraid of rats entering their home or spreading disease. Greater engagement with rodent control was associated with property ownership, information about rat control, and areas with lower incomes (p ≤ 0.01). Conclusions More frequent rat encounters may be an unanticipated public health concern during periods of social distancing, especially in restaurant-dense areas or in low-rise apartment buildings. Rat presence may also limit residents’ ability to enjoy nearby outdoor spaces, which otherwise might buffer stress experienced during a stay-at-home order. Proactive rat control may be needed to mitigate rat-associated health risks during future stay-at-home orders.

scholarly journals “I don’t feel safe sitting in my own yard”: Chicago resident experiences with urban rats during a COVID-19 stay-at-home order

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen H. Murray ◽  
Kaylee A. Byers ◽  
Jacqueline Buckley ◽  
Seth B. Magle ◽  
Dorothy Maffei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Rodent Control ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Apartment Buildings ◽  
At Home

AbstractBackgroundEncounters with rats in urban areas increase risk of human exposure to rat-associated zoonotic pathogens and act as a stressor associated with psychological distress. The frequency and nature of human-rat encounters may be altered by social distancing policies to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, restaurant closures may reduce food availability for rats and promote rat activity in nearby residential areas, thus increasing public health risks during a period of public health crisis. In this study, we aimed to identify factors associated with increased perceived exposure to rats during a stay-at-home order, describe residents’ encounters with rats relevant to their health and well-being, and identify factors associated with increased use of rodent control.MethodsUrban residents in Chicago, a large city with growing concerns about rats and health disparities, completed an online questionnaire including fixed response and open-ended questions during the spring 2020 stay-at-home order. Analyses included ordinal multivariate regression, spatial analysis, and thematic analysis for open-ended responses.ResultsOverall, 21% of respondents (n=835) reported an increase in rat sightings around their homes during the stay-at-home order and increased rat sightings was positively associated with proximity to restaurants, low-rise apartment buildings, and rat feces in the home (p≤0.01). Many respondents described feeling unsafe using their patio or yard, and afraid of rats entering their home or spreading disease. Greater engagement with rodent control was associated with property ownership, information about rat control, and lower incomes (p≤0.01).ConclusionsMore frequent rat encounters may be an unanticipated public health concern during periods of social distancing, especially in restaurant-dense areas or in low-rise apartment buildings. Rat presence may also limit residents’ ability to enjoy nearby outdoor spaces, which otherwise might buffer stress experienced during a stay-at-home order. Proactive rat control may be needed to mitigate rat-associated health risks during future stay-at-home orders.

scholarly journals State-level Stay-at-home Orders and Objectively Measured Movement in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle J. Bourassa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
State Level ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
The United States ◽  
Total Change ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Objectively Measured ◽  
At Home

Objective: Social distancing has been one of the primary interventions used to slow the spread of COVID-19. State-wide stay-at-home orders received a large degree of attention as a public health intervention to increase social distancing, but relatively little peer-reviewed research has examined the extent to which stay-at-home orders affected people’s behavior. Method: This study used GPS-derived movement from 2,858 counties in the United States from March 1 to May 7, 2020 to test the degree to which changes in state-level stay-at-home orders were associated with movement outside the home. Results: From the first week of March to the first week of April, people in counties within states that enacted stay-at-home orders decreased their movement significantly more than people in counties within states that did not enact state-level stay-at-home orders. From the first week of April to the first week of May, people in counties within states that ended their stay-at-home orders increased their movement significantly more than people in counties within states whose stay-at-home orders remained in place. The magnitude of change in movement associated with state-level stay-at-home orders was many times smaller than the total change in movement across all counties over the same periods of time in both cases. Conclusions: Stay-at-home orders are likely insufficient to reduce people’s movement outside the home without additional public health actions. Existing research on behavior change would be useful to determine what additional interventions could support social distancing behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic if becomes necessary to reduce movement in the future.

“I stay at work for you, you stay at home for us.” Does this Covid-19 campaign work for the youth in Asia?

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-175
Author(s):  
Jappy Fanggidae ◽  
Ridolof Batilmurik ◽  
Pieter Samadara
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Method ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Asian Context ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
At Home

This study investigated the relationship between guilt appeal and compliance with social distancing measures. We proposed that the relationship is double mediated by empathy and responsibility for the unfortunate people who have suffered from COVID-19. This research is novel to an extent as an experimental method is used in the Asian context. The results exhibited that guilt positively affected compliance with social distancing measures. The respondents were directly or indirectly compliant due to the emotions of empathy and responsibility. The theoretical and practical contributions of this study were presented.

Polarization and Public Health: Partisan Differences in Social Distancing during COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hunt Allcott ◽  
Levi Boxell ◽  
Jacob Conway ◽  
Matthew Gentzkow ◽  
Michael Thaler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Distancing

Disposal Practices of Unused Medications Among Patients in Public Health Centers of Dessie Town, Northeast Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-110
Author(s):  
Haile Kassahun ◽  
Dugessa Tesfaye
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Centers ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Northeast Ethiopia ◽  
Unused Medications ◽  
At Home

Background: Disposal of pharmaceutical waste among patients is a global challenge especially in developing countries like Ethiopia. Improper medication disposal can lead to health problems and environmental contaminations. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess disposal practices of unused medications among patients in public health centers of Dessie town, Northeast Ethiopia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 263 patients in four public health centers of Dessie town, Ethiopia from March to June, 2019. Face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires were used to collect data from each study subject. Results: The majority of the respondents, 224 (85.17%) had unused medications at their home during the study period. The most commonly reported disposal method in the present study was flushing down into a toilet 66 (25.09%). None of the respondents practiced returning unused medications to Pharmacy. Moreover, 85 (32.31%) of the respondents reported never disposing their medications and believed that it is acceptable to store medications at home for future use. Conclusion: In the present study, there was a high practice of keeping medications at home and most of the disposal practices were not recommended methods. In addition, most of the respondents did not get advice from pharmacists and other health care professionals on how to dispose off unused medications. Hence, there is a need for proper education and guidance of patients regarding disposal practices of unused medications.

scholarly journals Stay-at-home orders, social distancing, and trust

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abel Brodeur ◽  
Idaliya Grigoryeva ◽  
Lamis Kattan
Keyword(s):  
Social Distancing ◽  
At Home
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