Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The current novel coronavirus pandemic started as a simple outbreak in
December 2019 from Wuhan, China, and it has now become a global threat. The governments from
most of the countries including India have already taken strict precautionary measures to reduce
the coronavirus spread such as social distancing, closure of schools, colleges, airports, restaurants,
shopping malls, and other places where the people might gather. An increase in the levels of anxiety,
aggression, depression, forgetfulness, and hallucinations are possible psychological effects of
isolation. Too little is understood of the social impact of the pandemic.
AIM: To study the social impact of post‑COVID‑19 lockdown in Kerala from a community perspective.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross‑sectional survey was conducted among 700 families
(50 families from each district) from all the 14 districts of Kerala from during April‑May 2020 using
respondent‑driven sampling. The data were analyzed and the categorical variables have been
presented as percentages and proportions.
RESULTS: Anxiety (44%) and fear (44.3%) were reported by many of the study participants. The
survey also picked up an increase in the prevalence of domestic violence (13.7%) during the period.
The most common social change brought about by the lockdown was an improvement in the hygiene
practices among the study population.
CONCLUSION: The present study highlights the positive social changes brought about as a result
of the COVID‑19 lockdown. Further studies need to be conducted on a larger scale to assess the
psycho‑behavioural impact of COVID‑19 on the wider population.
Keywords
social impact of influenza mitigation strategies by demographic
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