Page 20 - IJPS-11-5

International Journal of
Population Studies Human behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic

rules were closing non-essential businesses such as 6.2.3.3. School closures
restaurants, bars, gyms, and churches. In certain instances, School closures were and have remained the most
presenting a vaccination card—authentic or counterfeit— controversial actions taken to reduce COVID-19 spread.
was sufficient to gain entry to restaurants, resulting in The logic of its implementation is direct; schools are often
widespread use of counterfeit vaccine cards. crowded and poorly ventilated. They are a near-perfect
Price and van Holm (2020) reported that if the typical COVID-19 spreading setting, particularly when singing
American individual were to spend 8 h away from the national anthem. Not only would the virus spread
crowds, there would be approximately 480,000 fewer amongst the kids but it would also infect the teachers,
COVID-19 cases. Courtemanche et al. (2020) reported the teachers’ family members, and the children’s family
that adoption of government-imposed social distancing members. Figure 18 shows the rate of school closures by
measures reduced the daily growth rate of confirmed state.
US COVID-19 cases by 5.4% after 1–5 days, 6.8% after The impact of school closures on COVID-19 case
6–10 days, 8.2% after 11–15 days, and 9.1% after 16–20 days. rates was difficult to analyze was schools could have taken

Social distancing compliance was influenced by political many actions to reduce viral spread, for example, open
party and socioeconomic status. Regarding socioeconomic the windows, install HEPA-14 filters, move desks six feet
factors, Garnier et al. (2021) found that social distancing is apart, mandate vaccination, initiate contact tracing, offer/
less intense in counties with higher proportions of people or require diagnostic testing, and ensure everyone wore
face masks.
below the poverty level and higher numbers of essential
workers. In contrast, social distancing is intensely adopted Castillo et al. (2021) reported that daily COVID-19
in counties with higher population densities and larger infection rates were examined before and after statewide
Black populations, as shown in Figure 16. school closure orders. In the 15 states where data were
available for 11 or more days after school closure, the
Allcott et al. (2020) reported that researchers used average case rate drop was 25%; however, there was great
location data from smartphones to show that areas with variation in the case rate drop.
more Republicans engaged in less social distancing. The
study controlled for other factors, including public policies, When the schools reopened, actions could be taken to
population density, and local COVID-19 cases and deaths. reduce transmission risk. Weng et al. (2023) analyzed eight
The paper also presented survey evidence of the significant school operating scenarios. When masks were worn at
gaps at the individual level between Republicans and school, work, and in the community, cumulative infections
Democrats in self-reported social distancing, beliefs about would have increased only 1% from increasing in-person
personal COVID-19 risk, and beliefs about the future education from 50% to 100%. As shown in Figure 19
severity of the pandemic. Figure 17 shows the social and Table 6, when there were neither masks nor contact
distancing by state. tracing when schools were conducted 100% in-person,

Table 6. Scenarios used to assess the impact of school
reopenings

Scenario In‑person Remote Mingled Masks Contact
(%) (%) with another tracing a
class
1 50 alternating No Everywhere Yes
2 50 a 50 No Everywhere Yes
3 80 a 20 No Everywhere Yes
4 100 No Everywhere Yes
5 100 Yes Everywhere Yes
6 100 Yes Not at Yes
School
7 100 Yes None Yes
8 100 Yes None No
Figure 15. Relative odds of contracting COVID. Image obtained from Note: Contact tracing was difficult in the United States due to its
a
Fisher et al., 2020. high case rates. That said, focused contact tracing, perhaps, was
Abbreviation: aOR: Adjusted odds ratio. implemented.

Volume 11 Issue 5 (2025) 14 https://doi.org/10.36922/IJPS025110040