#StayAtHome: Social Distancing Policies and Mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

This study examines the impact on human mobility of social distancing policies implemented in 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries in March 2020. We use cell phone data and variation across countries regarding the adoption of these policies and their timing to estimate effects on the percentage of people traveling more than 1 kilometer per day. Results indicate that lockdowns reduced mobility by 10 percentage points during the 15 days following its implementation. This accounts for a third of the decline in mobility between the first week in March and the first week in April in countries that implemented lockdowns. The effect during the second week of implementation is 28% lower compared to the effect documented during the first week. Additionally, we find that school closures reduced mobility by 4 percentage points, but no effects were found for bars and restaurants closures and the cancellation of public events.   JEL Classification Codes: C23, H12, I18