flyertalker28120

I don't think such a policy paper belongs ITT. But seeing moderators posted right after you, I've got to assume moderation is okay with this. Consequently, it is only fair one should be able to present a counter-argument.

A recent paper in Nature entitled "Mobility network models of COVID-19 explain inequities and inform reopening" uses cell phone data on 98 million Americans to study how human mobility affects the virus spread. They conclude that superspreader events drive the spread which occur predominantly at hotels, restaurants, cafes, gyms, and houses of worship.

When people travel, they visit hotels, restaurants, cafes, and perhaps even gyms disproportionally much. And what do quarantines do? They prevent many people from traveling in the first place! The quoted Oxera study is hugely flawed from a methodological perspective because it merely focuses on those that do travel. How can the study ignore the channel of people deciding not to travel due to quarantine regulation which reduces mobility and hence the spread of the virus?