Initial impacts of global risk mitigation measures taken during the combatting of the COVID-19 pandemic

TLDR

The study analyzes global COVID‑19 risk‑mitigation measures to update authorities and responders on their effectiveness and inform future outbreak preparedness. Authors collated and clustered worldwide mitigation measures using harmonised terminology, reviewing mobility restrictions, distancing, hygiene, socio‑economic, communication, and support mechanisms for their early qualitative impact. Early evidence suggests that combining voluntary and enforceable measures yields the best mitigation outcomes, though quantitative effectiveness remains premature.

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of risk mitigation measures taken by countries around the world facing the current COVID-19 outbreak. In light of the current pandemic the authors collated and clustered (using harmonised terminology) the risk mitigation measures taken around the globe in the combat to contain, and since March 11, 2020, to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus known to cause the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This overview gathers lessons learnt, providing an update on the current knowledge for authorities, sectors and first responders on the effectiveness of said measures, and may allow enhanced prevention, preparedness and response for future outbreaks. Various measures such as mobility restrictions, physical distancing, hygienic measures, socio-economic restrictions, communication and international support mechanisms have been clustered and are reviewed in terms of the nature of the actions taken and their qualitative early-perceived impact. At the time of writing, it is still too premature to express the quantitative effectiveness of each risk mitigation cluster, but it seems that the best mitigation results are reported when applying a combination of voluntary and enforceable measures.