Restriction policies and effects of COVID-19 pandemic in environment: analysis and role of sustainable technology to cope with future pandemics

Abstract Restriction or containment policies (e.g., business and workplace closures, travel bans and restrictions, compulsory facemask coverings, mandatory vaccinations, etc.) can prevent high numbers of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) related infected individuals and deaths. However, one of the critical questions is varying degrees of strictness in containment policies to cope with negative effects of COVID-19 pandemic crisis in environment and society. This study confronts the question here by developing a comparative analysis between countries with high and low levels of strictness in containment measures to assess the effectiveness of their policy responses to cope with high numbers of infections and deaths of COVID-19 in society. A homogenous sample of 31 countries having a level of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita higher than U$16,000 are categorized in two sets: countries with high or low containment index (100 = highest restrictions and strictness). The findings here seem to be that countries with a containment index lower than 50 (i.e., lower degree of strictness) have average COVID-19 confirmed cases on population (24.69% vs. 26.06%) and fatality rates (74.33% vs = 76.38%) lower than countries with high level of containment index (about 60). This empirical evidence reveals that government responses based on high degrees of strictness seem to be ineffective to cope with COVID-19 pandemic crisis because can create socioeconomic issues. This study suggests that one of the best strategy of prevention of high numbers of deaths of new airborne diseases generating respiratory disorders is based on high levels of investment in health sector and in particular, high investments in new sustainable technology of medical ventilators that can reduce negative effects of emerging infectious diseases similar to COVID-19, when specific drugs lack and/or need months or years for process of drug discovery.