Government actions against the new coronavirus: evidence from the Brazilian states

Abstract Since the declaration of the global pandemic due to the new coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) by the World Health Organization (WHO), on March 11, 2020, several measures have been taken by governments around the world regarding social distancing. In Brazil, state governments took the lead in decreeing measures to close schools, suspend public events, and restrict businesses. This article aims to analyze the differences between the Brazilian state governments regarding implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to combat the coronavirus, based on the calculation of a government action index. Analysis of 367 decrees of 25 state executives was conducted in the first two months of the pandemic in the country. The preliminary results of this analysis suggest different levels of rigor in measures to confront COVID-19 by Brazilian governments. Some states stood out for their proactive adoption of stricter social distancing policies, even before confirming the first case of the disease.

2020年3月11日，世界卫生组织（World Health Organization, WHO）正式宣布新型冠状病毒（Sars-CoV-2）引发全球大流行。自此之后，全球各国政府均已出台多项针对社交距离管控的防疫举措。在巴西，各州政府率先颁布政令，推出关闭学校、暂停公共活动以及限制商业运营等防疫措施。本文旨在通过构建政府行动指数，分析巴西各州政府在落实抗击新冠疫情的非药物干预措施（Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions, NPIs）方面的差异。本次研究针对巴西疫情暴发最初两个月内，25位州级行政长官签署的367份政令展开分析。本次分析的初步结果显示，巴西各州政府在应对COVID-19的防疫措施严苛程度上存在显著差异。部分州展现出较强的防疫前瞻性，甚至在确认首例新冠确诊病例前，就已主动推行更为严格的社交距离管控政策。