Research and analysis

Potential impact of behavioural and social interventions on an epidemic of COVID-19 in the UK, 9 March 2020

Updated paper on the impact of behavioural and social interventions for the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

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Potential impact of behavioural and social interventions on an epidemic of COVID-19 in the UK - 9 March 2020

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Updated paper outlining the available scientific evidence base around behavioural and social interventions which could be applied as part of the government response to a UK epidemic of COVID-19. It includes the expected impacts on the spread of the virus and public behaviours, but does not cover economic, operational or policy considerations.

The paper was discussed at SAGE 13 on 5 March 2020.

This evidence was often compiled very rapidly during a fast-moving response and should be viewed in this context. The paper presented here is the best assessment of the evidence at the time of writing, and the conclusions were formed on this basis. As new evidence or data emerges, SAGE updates its advice accordingly. Therefore, some of the information in this paper may have been superseded at a later date.

Updates to this page

Published 20 March 2020
Last updated 1 July 2022 + show all updates
  1. Amended error in attribution from SAGE 14 to SAGE 13.

  2. First published.

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