Evaluating the Effectiveness of Regional Lockdown Policies in the Containment of Covid-19: Evidence from Pakistan

TL;DR

This study evaluates regional lockdown policies in Pakistan during Covid-19, revealing varied effectiveness across regions and emphasizing the need for tailored strategies based on local factors.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the differential impact of lockdowns in Pakistan's regions, highlighting the importance of context-specific policy implementation.

Findings

Lockdowns reduced Covid-19 cases in Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan, ICT, and AJK.

Lockdowns were ineffective in Punjab, Sindh, and KPK.

Regional heterogeneity influences lockdown effectiveness.

Abstract

To slow down the spread of Covid-19, administrative regions within Pakistan imposed complete and partial lockdown restrictions on socio-economic activities, religious congregations, and human movement. Here we examine the impact of regional lockdown strategies on Covid-19 outcomes. After conducting econometric analyses (Regression Discontinuity and Negative Binomial Regressions) on official data from the National Institute of Health (NIH) Pakistan, we find that the strategies did not lead to a similar level of Covid-19 caseload (positive cases and deaths) in all regions. In terms of reduction in the overall caseload (positive cases and deaths), compared to no lockdown, complete and partial lockdown appeared to be effective in four regions: Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan (GT), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Contrarily, complete and partial lockdowns did not appear to be effective in containing the virus in the three largest provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). The observed regional heterogeneity in the effectiveness of lockdowns advocates for a careful use of lockdown strategies based on the demographic, social, and economic factors.