The lockdown, mobility, and spatial health disparities in COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of New York City

The world has adopted unprecedented lockdown as the key method to mitigate COVID-19; yet its effect on pandemic outcomes and health disparities remains largely unknown. Adopting a multilevel conceptual framework, this research investigates how city-level lockdown policy and public transit system shape mobility and thus intra-city health disparities, using New York City as a case study. With a spatial method and multiple sources of data, this research demonstrates the uneven impact of the lockdown policy and public transit system in shaping local pandemic outcomes. Census tracts with people spending more time at home have lower infection and death rates, while those with a higher density of transit stations have higher infection and death rates. Residential profile matters and census tracts with a higher concentration of disadvantaged population, such as Blacks, Hispanics, poor and elderly people, and people with no health insurance, have higher infection and death rates. Spatial analyses identify clusters where the lockdown policy was not effective and census tracts that share similar pandemic characteristics. Through the lens of mobility, this research advances knowledge of health disparities by focusing on institutional causes for health disparities and the role of the government through intervention policy and public transit system.

Automated summary

This research investigates the impact of lockdown policy and public transit system on mobility and health disparities within a city, using New York City as a case study. The study reveals the uneven effects of lockdown policy and public transit system on local pandemic outcomes, with areas where people spend more time at home having lower infection and death rates, and areas with a higher density of transit stations having higher infection and death rates. The study also highlights the importance of residential profile, with areas having a higher concentration of disadvantaged populations experiencing higher infection and death rates. Through the lens of mobility, this research contributes to the understanding of health disparities by analyzing institutional causes and the role of government intervention policy and public transit system.