Upcoming Events
Research Colloquium on Computational Social Science/CSI
Sep 11, 2020, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
The benefits and costs of testing with self-quarantine versus physical distancing for the control of COVID-19: Stephen C Newbold, Madison Ashworth, David Finnoff, Linda Thunstrom, Jason F Shogren
Two distinct policy strategies for controlling the spread of COVID-19 are physical distancing and testing with self-quarantine. Both strategies can be effective in reducing infections, but they have very different cost profiles. Physical distancing requires individuals to bear most of the costs in the form of lost employment and earnings and foregone social interactions. A coordinated testing and self-quarantine program could allow higher rates of social mixing and maintained employment, but requires large sustained outlays to pay for frequent testing. Under a wide range of plausible parameters, we find that an optimal testing and self-quarantine policy has substantially higher net benefits than an optimal physical distancing policy. However, the costs of such testing programs may make them challenging for local or state governments to implement without substantial external funding.
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Access code: 161 962 8856