Associations between restrictions on public mobility and slowing of new COVID-19 case rates in three countries

Social restrictions of various degrees have been implemented in many countries to reduce viral transmission during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Analysis of responses in the United States during the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic indicated that early imposition of local social restrictions reduced the number of deaths.1 But restrictions on personal mobility have economic consequences. Comparing data on the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 infections with mobility data for Australia, Sweden, and South Korea, countries with distinctly different approaches to mobility restrictions, may provide insights into the efficacy of such interventions.