Covid-19: the fear of being contaminated would have cost the American economy 250 billion dollars

The Covid-19 continues to surprise with its consequences. In the first six months in the United States, the fear of catching the coronavirus would have prevented approximately 3 million people from going to work. A phenomenon that would have cost the American economy $ 250 billion in the first half of 2022, according to a study carried out by researchers and reported by Bloomberg. The authors named this tendency “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 taking public transportation. . Among them, some are not working or looking for work partly because of fears of infection. They would represent 2% of the active population, or 3 million people, according to the researchers.

“ People with a cautious bent or underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of death or serious illness from Covid-19 may find valid and understandable reasons to continue and even intensify their distancing practices. social “, explain the authors of the article. Some, difficult to quantify, may also suffer from a long Covid or have seen its effects on one of their relatives. “ The long social distancing and its effects will likely persist for several months or years“say the researchers.

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Additionally, according to a Brookings Institute report, up to four million Americans have left the workforce due to symptoms of long-lasting Covid-19. A societal impact, but also an economic one, estimated at 3.7 billion dollars. Among the unemployed, in September, 452,000 were even prevented from looking for work because of the pandemic, according to the latest government employment report. A figure, however, down from June (610,000).