The fear of catching Covid-19 is expensive in the United States. A study, carried out by researchers and published by Bloomberg (covered by Les Echos and Le Figaro) on October 25, reveals that the fear of catching Covid-19 would have prevented 3 million people from going to work this year, or 2% of the working population. This phenomenon, called “long social distancing” by the researchers behind the study would have resulted in a loss of 250 billion dollars in the United States over the first six months of the year.
The fear of a long Covid
The monthly survey carried out by the same group of researchers shows that 60% of respondents do not intend to fully resume their activities before the coronavirus pandemic. Climbing a crowded elevator, taking public transport is no longer possible for them.
This “long social distancing” is often motivated by an infection with a long Covid or an entourage affected by the phenomenon. A report by the Brookings Institute indicates, moreover, that nearly 4 million Americans have left the labor market due to a persistent form of the disease. “While many Americans have largely moved on from the pandemic, its long-term economic and societal impacts remain profound, especially for the millions of people struggling to fully recover from Covid-19,” highlighted Bloomberg. The United States has recorded one million deaths from the coronavirus.