When to Lock, Not Whom: Managing Epidemics Using Time-Based Restrictions

Yinon Bar-On, Tanya Baron, Ofer Cornfeld and Eran Yashiv ()
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Yinon Bar-On: Weizmann Institute of Science
Tanya Baron: Ben Gurion University
Ofer Cornfeld: BFI, Israel

No 2220, Discussion Papers from Centre for Macroeconomics (CFM)

Abstract: We present novel policy tools to manage epidemics. Rather than using prevalent population restrictions, these policy strategies are based on cyclical time restrictions. Key findings on the outcomes of such policy strategies include: a significant improvement of social welfare, substantially lessening the trade-offs between economic activity and health outcomes; optimally-derived timings of interventions are shown to suppress the disease, while maintaining reasonable economic activity; and outcomes are superior to the actual experience of New York State and Florida over the course of 2020.

Keywords: epidemic/pandemic management; cyclical strategies; social planner; endogenous individual response; lockdown; time restrictions; positive analysis; policy frontier (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E23 E61 E65 I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 60 pages
Date: 2022-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea
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Related works:
Journal Article: When to Lock, Not Whom: Managing Epidemics Using Time-Based Restrictions (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cfm:wpaper:2220

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