Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Department of Medical Ethics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Facing a devastating infectious outbreak like COVID‑19, the command of “stay at
home” was recommended by some officials as a self‑voluntary quarantine strategy for controlling
the outbreak, but the people perceived and act differently. In this study, we aimed at ethnographic
evaluation of public response to this command.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research used ethnography for observing the public response to
the recommendation of “stay at home” in the COVID‑19 outbreak. Data were collected via observing
public behavior and documentation; then, the data were qualitatively analyzed.
RESULTS: Our findings showed 10 different ignored dimensions in this moral statement including
lack of legal and administrative support, diverse perception and contradictory reactions of the people
to the epidemiological forecasting and recommendations, different response to moral statements,
various perceptions of the people about health and wellbeing, feeling exhausted of staying at home,
not including justice and fairness in the moral statement, not clarifying the meaning of necessary
matters, not considering the COVID‑19 infected patients and their requirements, assigning the
responsibility of government to the public, and halting other scientific activities and investigations in
charge of COVID‑19.
CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the officials should take an active role in implementing this moral
statement by strict regulations, public education about the disease, its control, and the importance
of quarantine, considering justice and fairness in implementation.
Keywords
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