ABSTRACT

In the absence of pharmaceutical interventions for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), countries have taken drastic steps like quarantine, prohibit large-scale gatherings, limited transport, social distancing, curfews, and lockdowns to curtail the spread of the virus. In light of these events, the current study attempts to understand the short-term changes in road traffic patterns, using data from two Wi-Fi MAC Scanners deployed at strategic locations in Chennai, India. The results indicate that the road traffic activities significantly reduced due to the restrictions in non-essential trips, workplace suspensions, and strict surveillance during lockdowns. However, as the lockdown rules eased, the road traffic activities began to recover. It is found that complete closedown is most effective in reducing road travel activity, but ad-hoc short duration complete closedowns may only yield temporary benefits. Also, extended lockdowns without proper enforcement may be ineffective since the public appeared to ignore the advisory after a while.

摘要

在没有针对新型冠状病毒 (COVID-19) 的药物干预的情况下，各国采取了严厉措施，例如隔离、禁止大规模聚会、限制运输、社会疏远、宵禁和封锁，以遏制病毒的传播。鉴于这些事件，当前的研究尝试使用来自部署在印度钦奈战略位置的两个 Wi-Fi MAC 扫描仪的数据来了解道路交通模式的短期变化。结果表明，由于非必要出行的限制、工作场所暂停和封锁期间的严格监控，道路交通活动显着减少。然而，随着封锁规则的放宽，道路交通活动开始恢复。发现完全关闭对减少公路旅行活动最有效，但临时的短期完全关闭可能只会产生暂时的好处。此外，在没有适当执行的​​情况下延长封锁可能是无效的，因为一段时间后公众似乎忽略了该建议。