COVID-19 Pandemic with Human Mobility Across Countries

This study develops a holistic view of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spread worldwide through a spatial-temporal model with network dynamics. By using a unique human mobility dataset containing 547 166 flights with a total capacity of 101 455 913 passengers from January 22 to April 24, 2020, we analyze the epidemic correlations across 22 countries in six continents and particularly the changes in such correlations before and after implementing the international travel restriction policies targeting different countries. Results show that policymakers should move away from the previous practices that focus only on restricting hotspot areas with high infection rates. Instead, they should develop a new holistic view of global human mobility to impose the international movement restriction. The study further highlights potential correlations between international human mobility and focal countries' epidemic situations in the global network of COVID-19 pandemic.