The short-term economic consequences of COVID-19: Exposure to disease, remote work and government response.

We examine the determinants of the consequences of COVID-19 on employment and wages in the United States. Guided by a pre-analysis plan, we investigate whether the economic consequences of COVID-19 were larger for certain occupations, using four indexes: workers relatively more exposed to disease, workers that work with proximity to coworkers, essential/critical workers and workers who can easily work remotely. We find that individuals that work in proximity to others are more affected while individuals able to work remotely and essential workers are less affected by the pandemic. We also present suggestive evidence that our indexes are likely explanations why certain demographic groups such as younger and minority workers have worse labor market outcomes during the pandemic.

The short‐term economic consequences of COVID‐19: Occupation tasks and mental health in Canada

In this paper, we study the effect of COVID‐19 on the labour market and reported mental health of Canadians. To better understand the effect of the pandemic on the labour market, we build indexes for whether workers: (i) are relatively more exposed to disease, (ii) work in proximity to co‐workers, (iii) are essential workers and (iv) can easily work remotely. Our estimates suggest that the impact of COVID‐19 was significantly more severe for workers that work in proximity to co‐workers and those more exposed to disease who are not in the health sector, while the effects are less severe for essential workers and workers that can work remotely. Last, using the Canadian Perspective Survey Series, we observe that reported mental health is significantly lower among some of the most affected workers such as women and less‐educated workers. We also document that those who were absent from work because of COVID‐19 are more concerned with meeting their financial obligations and with losing their job than those who continue working outside their home.

The short-term economic consequences of COVID-19: Occupation tasks and mental health in Canada

. In this paper, we study the effect of COVID-19 on the labour market and reported mental health of Canadians. To better understand the effect of the pandemic on the labour market, we build indexes for whether workers: (i) are relatively more exposed to disease, (ii) work in proximity to co-workers, (iii) are essential workers and (iv) can easily work remotely. Our estimates suggest that the impact of COVID-19 was significantly more severe for workers that work in proximity to co-workers and those more exposed to disease who are not in the health sector, while the effects are less severe for essential workers and workers that can work remotely. Last, using the Canadian Perspective Survey Series, we observe that reported mental health is significantly lower among some of the most affected workers such as women and less-educated workers. We also document that those who were absent from work because of COVID-19 are more concerned with meeting their financial obligations and with losing their job than those who continue working outside their home. Résumé Conséquences économiques de la COVID-19 à court terme : tâches professionnelles et santé mentale au Canada. Dans cet article, nous étudions les répercussions de la COVID-19 sur le marché de l?emploi et la santé mentale déclarée des Canadiens. Afin de mieux comprendre les effets de la pandémie sur le marché du travail, nous avons développé des indices permettant de déterminer si les travailleurs : 1) sont relativement plus exposés à la maladie;2) exercent leur activité à proximité de leurs collègues;3) sont essentiels;4) peuvent facilement travailler à distance. D?après nos estimations, les conséquences de la COVID-19 se sont avérées nettement plus sévères chez les travailleurs exerçant à proximité de leurs collègues ainsi que les professionnels (hors secteur médical) davantage exposés à la maladie, mais moins importantes chez les travailleurs essentiels et les télétravailleurs. Enfin, en nous appuyant sur l?une des enquêtes sur les perspectives canadiennes, nous observons que la santé mentale déclarée est nettement inférieure chez les travailleurs les plus touchés, notamment les femmes et les travailleurs moins instruits. Nous montrons également que les personnes écartées de leur travail en raison de la COVID-19 se soucient davantage du respect de leurs obligations financières et de la perte de leur emploi par rapport à celles qui ont pu continuer à travailler hors de leur domicile.

Photodynamic and Contact Killing Polymeric Fabric Coating for Bacteria and SARS-CoV-2.

The development of low-cost, non-toxic, scalable antimicrobial textiles is needed to address the spread of deadly pathogens. Here, we report a polysiloxane textile coating that possesses two modes of antimicrobial inactivation, passive contact inactivation through amine/imine functionalities and active photodynamic inactivation through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This material can be coated and cross-linked onto natural and synthetic textiles through a simple soak procedure, followed by UV cure to afford materials exhibiting no aqueous leaching and only minimal leaching in organic solvents. This coating minimally impacts the mechanical properties of the fabric while also imparting hydrophobicity. Passive inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is achieved with >98% inactivation after 24 h, with a 23× and 3× inactivation rate increase against E. coli and MRSA, respectively, when green light is used to generate ROS. Up to 90% decrease in the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 after 2 h of irradiated incubation with the material is demonstrated. These results show that modifying textiles with dual-functional polymers results in robust and highly antimicrobial materials that are expected to find widespread use in combating the spread of deadly pathogens.

Corrigendum to "On the effects of COVID-19 safer-at-home policies on social distancing, car crashes and pollution" [J. Environ. Econ. Manag. 106 (2021) 102427].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2021.102427.].

On the effects of COVID-19 safer-at-home policies on social distancing, car crashes and pollution.

This paper investigates the impacts of COVID-19 safer-at-home polices on collisions and pollution. We find that statewide safer-at-home policies lead to a 20% reduction in vehicular collisions and that the effect is entirely driven by less severe collisions. For pollution, we find particulate matter concentration levels approximately 1.5 µg/m3 lower during the period of a safer-at-home order, representing a 25% reduction. We document a similar reduction in air pollution following the implementation of similar policies in Europe. We calculate that as of the end of June 2020, the benefits from avoided car collisions in the U.S. were approximately $16 billion while the benefits from reduced air pollution could be as high as $13 billion.