Fear of contracting the coronavirus would have prevented about 3 million people from going to work in the United States this year, according to a study.
The Covid-19 surprises again and again with its consequences. In the US, fears of contracting the coronavirus would have prevented around 3 million people from going to work in the first six months. A phenomenon that would have cost the American economy $250 billion in the first half of 2022, according to a study conducted by researchers and reported by Bloomberg. The authors call this trend “long social distancing”.
According to their monthly survey of tens of thousands of people, nearly 60% of respondents said they would not fully resume pre-pandemic activities, such as riding in a crowded elevator or using public transit. Some of them are not working or looking for work, partly for fear of contamination. They would represent 2% of the active population, or 3 million people, according to the researchers.
“People with a cautious disposition or underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk of death or serious illness from Covid-19 may find valid and understandable reasons to continue and even intensify their social distancing practices,” the authors explain of the article. Some, difficult to quantify, may also have long covid or have seen its effects on one of their relatives. “The long periods of social distancing and its effects are likely to last for several months or years,” the researchers say.
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Additionally, as many as four million Americans have left the workforce due to symptoms of long-standing Covid-19, according to a Brookings Institute report. A social but also economic impact estimated at $3.7 billion. Among the unemployed, 452,000 were even prevented from looking for work because of the pandemic, according to the government’s latest jobs report in September. However, one number less than in June (610,000).