Strict Covid-19 Countermeasures Like Banning Small Gatherings, Closing Schools Most Effective At Reducing Transmission, Study Finds

The study, which was conducted by researchers in Vienna and Paris and published Monday in the journal Nature Human Behavior, looked at the effect that more than 6,000 non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) measures implemented by governments in 79 territories had on the rate of Covid-19 transmission.

The researchers found that the most effective measures at reducing the rate of transmission, in order of effectiveness, are “small gathering cancellations” (such as closing non-essential businesses, restricting small gatherings and imposing mandatory work-from-home policies), closing educational institutions, border restrictions, increasing the availability of personal protective equipment and “individual movement restrictions” like curfews or stay-at-home orders.

Among the least effective measures are environmental measures like requiring surfaces to be cleaned, health checks at airports and borders and governments receiving international help.

The study acknowledges that strict measures like closing businesses and imposing stay-at-home restrictions can also have “adverse consequences,” and suggests some less restrictive measures can be effective alternatives, like information campaigns that urge people to voluntarily stay home and social distance, or government programs that help vulnerable populations by providing food, access to testing and assistance that “allow[s] them to self-isolate without fear of losing their job or part of their salary.”

“No one-size-fits-all solution exists” to completely reduce transmission, the study notes, and until a vaccine or effective treatment exists, Covid-19 outbreaks “can be stopped only by a suitable combination of NPIs, each tailored to the specific country and its epidemic age.”