A structured open dataset of government interventions in response to COVID-19
Amélie Desvars-Larrive, Elma Dervić, Nils Haug, Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, Jiaying Chen, Anna Di Natale, Jana Lasser, Diana S. Gliga, Alexandra Roux, Johannes Sorger, Abhijit Chakraborty, Alexandr Ten, Alija Dervić, Andrea Pacheco, Anna Jurczak, David Cserjan, Diana Lederhilger, Dominika Bulska, Dorontinë Berishaj, Erwin Flores Tames, Francisco S. Álvarez, Huda Takriti, Jan Korbel, Jenny Reddish, Joanna Grzymała-Moszczyńska, Johannes Stangl, Lamija Hadziavdic, Laura Stoeger, Leana Gooriah, Lukas Geyrhofer, Márcia R. Ferreira, Marta Bartoszek, Rainer Vierlinger, Samantha Holder, Simon Haberfellner, Verena Ahne, Viktoria Reisch, Vito D. P. Servedio, Xiao Chen, Xochilt Pocasangre-Orellana, Zuzanna Garncarek, David García, Stefan Thurner
Abstract
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have implemented a wide range of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Monitoring and documenting government strategies during the COVID-19 crisis is crucial to understand the progression of the epidemic. Following a content analysis strategy of existing public information sources, we developed a specific hierarchical coding scheme for NPIs. We generated a comprehensive structured dataset of government interventions and their respective timelines of implementation. To improve transparency and motivate collaborative validation process, information sources are shared via an open library. We also provide codes that enable users to visualise the dataset. Standardization and structure of the dataset facilitate inter-country comparison and the assessment of the impacts of different NPI categories on the epidemic parameters, population health indicators, the economy, and human rights, among others. This dataset provides an in-depth insight of the government strategies and can be a valuable tool for developing relevant preparedness plans for pandemic. We intend to further develop and update this dataset until the end of December 2020.