Optimal Lockdown in a Commuting Network
We study optimal dynamic lockdowns against Covid-19 within a commuting network. Our framework integrates canonical spatial epidemiology and trade models, and is applied to cities with varying initial viral spread: Seoul, Daegu and NYC-Metro. Spatial lockdowns achieve substantially smaller income losses than uniform lockdowns. In NYM and Daegu—with large initial shocks—the optimal lockdown restricts inflows to central districts before gradual relaxation, while in Seoul it imposes low temporal but large spatial variation. Actual commuting reductions were too weak in central locations in Daegu and NYM, and too strong across Seoul.
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Copy CitationPablo Fajgelbaum, Amit Khandelwal, Wookun Kim, Cristiano Mantovani, and Edouard Schaal, "Optimal Lockdown in a Commuting Network," NBER Working Paper 27441 (2020), https://doi.org/10.3386/w27441.Download Citation
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Published Versions
Pablo D. Fajgelbaum & Amit Khandelwal & Wookun Kim & Cristiano Mantovani & Edouard Schaal, 2021. "Optimal Lockdown in a Commuting Network," American Economic Review: Insights, vol 3(4), pages 503-522. citation courtesy of 
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