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. 2021 Dec;26(48):2001636.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.48.2001636.

Lockdown impact on age-specific contact patterns and behaviours, France, April 2020

Paolo Bosetti  1 , Bich-Tram Huynh  2   3 , Armiya Youssouf Abdou  2   3 , Marie Sanchez  4 , Catherine Eisenhauer  1 , Noémie Courtejoie  5 , Jérôme Accardo  6 , Henrik Salje  1   7 , Didier Guillemot  2   3 , Mathieu Moslonka-Lefebvre  8 , Pierre-Yves Boëlle  9 , Guillaume Béraud  10 , Simon Cauchemez  1 , Lulla Opatowski  2   3
Affiliations

Lockdown impact on age-specific contact patterns and behaviours, France, April 2020

Paolo Bosetti et al. Euro Surveill. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

BackgroundMany countries implemented national lockdowns to contain the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 and avoid overburdening healthcare capacity.AimWe aimed to quantify how the French lockdown impacted population mixing, contact patterns and behaviours.MethodsWe conducted an online survey using convenience sampling and collected information from participants aged 18 years and older between 10 April and 28 April 2020.ResultAmong the 42,036 survey participants, 72% normally worked outside their home, and of these, 68% changed to telework during lockdown and 17% reported being unemployed during lockdown. A decrease in public transport use was reported from 37% to 2%. Participants reported increased frequency of hand washing and changes in greeting behaviour. Wearing masks in public was generally limited. A total of 138,934 contacts were reported, with an average of 3.3 contacts per individual per day; 1.7 in the participants aged 65 years and older compared with 3.6 for younger age groups. This represented a 70% reduction compared with previous surveys, consistent with SARS-CoV2 transmission reduction measured during the lockdown. For those who maintained a professional activity outside home, the frequency of contacts at work dropped by 79%.ConclusionThe lockdown affected the population's behaviour, work, risk perception and contact patterns. The frequency and heterogeneity of contacts, both of which are critical factors in determining how viruses spread, were affected. Such surveys are essential to evaluate the impact of lockdowns more accurately and anticipate epidemic dynamics in these conditions.

Keywords: Europe; France; epidemiology; modelling; public health policy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of contacts by age group and setting, during and before lockdown, France, April 2020
Figure 2
Figure 2
Contact matrices during national lockdown, France, April 2020
Figure 3
Figure 3
Spatial dispersion during national lockdown, France, April 2020
Figure 4
Figure 4
Lockdown-associated behaviours, France, April 2020
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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