Data for: Social distancing legal measures: a comparison of state and state capital policies in Brazil
Description
This index measures the strictness of social distancing policies in each of the 27 Brazilian states. This index is composed of six variables, measuring: i) whether mass gatherings, as well as cultural, sports or religious activities are suspended; ii) whether bars, pubs, restaurants and similar places are closed; iii) whether non-essential shops are closed; iv) whether non-essential industries are closed; v) whether classes are suspended; and vi) whether there are restrictions on passenger transportation. For each of these variables, values of 2, 1 or 0 were assigned depending on whether suspension or restriction was total, partial or non-existent. As the sum of the values would vary between 0 and 12 (as there are six variables), the index values were adjusted to be between 0 and 10 (a more intuitive scale), in which 10 are cases of greatest restrictions. Each of these variables represents a type of gathering: if these activities were all suspended, the aggregate effect would be a broad restriction. Information used to code values of these variables comes from open sources, especially legal documents from state governments, complemented by news from local media.