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Epidemiology of enforcing travel restrictions in US peninsular regions during the COVID-19 pandemic
Florida Public Health Review ; 17:67-70, 2020.
Article in English | CAB Abstracts | ID: covidwho-1558151
ABSTRACT
This study evaluated the effectiveness of enforced travel restrictions on COVID-19 case burden and deaths, epidemiologic data from Barnstable and Monroe County. As of 25 May, 2020, Barnstable County, MA had 1277 reported cases of COVID-19 and 110 related deaths. Barnstable County had a case rate of 600 infections per 100,000 population. For the same period, Monroe County, FL had 107 cases and four deaths. Monroe County had a case rate of 144 infections per 100,00 population. In Florida, the Monroe County Emergency Manager established a travel ban to the Florida Keys on 20 March, 2020. Phase 1 of Florida re-opening, the "Safe, Smart, Step-by-Step Plan for Recovery" was implemented 4 May, 2020;travel restrictions within the Florida Keys were lifted but travel to the Florida Keys remains restricted at time of this report. While local citizen organizations pushed for the closure of bridges to Cape Cod in Barnstable County, no transportation-limiting quarantine measures were put into effect. Although no policy statement for why travel restrictions were not in place in Barnstable but were for Monroe, it was suspected that the differences in policy stem from the feasibility of implementation and existing infrastructure. While a travel ban has been disruptive to the Keys economy, heavily reliant on tourism, the normalization of emergency measures likely lowered barriers to the implementation of travel restrictions. In Cape Cod, such restrictions may have been seen as a much more extreme measure due to the infrequency of severe natural disasters. In the beginning of the pandemic, Barnstable COVID-19 cases were not at elevated as those in nearby Massachusetts counties, likely limiting the perceived need for restricted access. Additionally, the perceived risk of population influx following COVID-19's pandemic designation may have been different in the two locations. In Monroe County, this timing corresponded with the beginning of Spring Break tourist season and implementing a peninsular lockdown may have seemed more critical. However, in Barnstable County, March and April are typically low tourism months and the risk of peninsular traffic may have seemed lower as a result.
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Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: CAB Abstracts Type of study: Observational study Language: English Journal: Florida Public Health Review Year: 2020 Document Type: Article

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Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: CAB Abstracts Type of study: Observational study Language: English Journal: Florida Public Health Review Year: 2020 Document Type: Article