Mobility restrictions are more than transient reduction of travel activities

The world is getting closer, enabling far-ranging human movements as well as disease diffusions (1). This greater interconnectedness has drawn our attention to a core feature of the real world—the “small-world” characteristic (2). Thinking from a network perspective, the world consists of closely connected communities which are bridged by random, long-distance connections. However, this network structure has made the world more vulnerable to infectious disease. During the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, mobility restrictions such as lockdown measures have proven their worth in mitigating disease spread (3⇓–5). The current challenge is averting disease burden while promoting socioeconomic recovery. In order to craft solutions, we really need to detail and translate the effect of mobility restrictions. Schlosser et al. (6) bring us answers to two key questions surrounding the effect of COVID-19 lockdown: How does the structural mobility network … [↵][1]1Email: ruiyunli1991{at}gmail.com. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1