“… It is like it has come up and stole our lives from us” The first 21 days: A rapid qualitative assessment of how different sectors of society experienced the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa

Abstract

We examined how different sectors of society experienced the first 21 days of the stay-at-home lockdown following the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in South Africa. This rapid qualitative assessment was conducted remotely with 60 key and community informants from different socio-cultural and economic backgrounds in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape provinces of South Africa. Atlas.ti.8 was used to facilitate qualitative data analysis. Data revealed how the lockdown exacerbated social inequalities for the poor and marginalised. Fear of infection, and food and income insecurity were common concerns mentioned in key and community informant interviews. Despite the social and economic distress, the data also point to a narrative of social responsibility, resilience and social cohesion. The social responsibility and cohesion demonstrated by South African communities should be drawn upon to invoke community resilience, even in the absence of physical proximity.

Intersections between COVID-19 and socio-economic mental health stressors in the lives of South African adolescent girls and young women

“…Mental health and wellbeing are influenced by a multitude of factors, many of these are circumstantial, environmental, social, and interpersonal in nature [ 14 ]. As seen in our findings, and other recent research, fear, emotional distress, anxiety and uncertainty, and depression provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic are not only due to fear of infection and death, but also due to environmental and socio-economic stressors, food and income insecurity [ 27 , 28 , 43 – 45 ]. Even without the added stressors introduced by COVID-19 and lockdown, young people in South Africa face substantial social adversities and related mental health challenges due to a range of SRH, social, economic, environmental, physiological and interpersonal factors, however this burden has clearly increased [ 1 , 13 ].…”

“…Our findings are also consistent with the literature, showing that COVID-19 restrictions, whilst nationally applicable, have impacted South Africans in differing ways, disproportionately affecting the poorest, most marginalised and vulnerable in society due to socioeconomic realities such as inequality, poverty, violence, and rising unemployment [ 10 , 31 ]. Evidence suggests that globally, the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting vulnerable groups, such as AGYW, disproportionally, further exacerbating pre-existing inequalities [ 13 , 27 ]. High levels of inequality and poverty exist in South Africa, and the majority of South Africans live below the poverty line.…”

“…Individual, relational and contextual factors, such as poverty, geopolitics, age, gender, mental health and parenthood, shape an individual’s ability to buffer against material and psychosocial shocks, and constrain their ability to cope [ 28 ]. Experiences of an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness, and the strain that the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown has placed on people’s ability to maintain a hopeful outlook are common themes emerging in current research [ 27 ]. It is critical to respond to these feelings of hopelessness, to mitigate their negative effects on mental health, and to tap into adolescents’ and young people’s emotional resilience capabilities to maintain hope in the face of challenges.…”

“…Critically, given the immense and unprecedented scale of social disruption caused by the pandemic, mental health interventions need to be responsive to the specific social determinants in each context, especially those exacerbated by COVID-19, in order to achieve their intended impacts [ 20 ]. The COVID-19 restrictions in South Africa, while aiming to protect the health of the population, have exacerbated social inequalities, underlying socio-structural vulnerabilities and life challenges for the most vulnerable groups in South Africa [ 27 ], such as the AGYW in the communities in which this study was conducted. Mental health is not possible without having basic needs met.…”

“…Interacting with pre-existing mental health stressors, particularly in socio-economically and resource constrained settings, such as informal settlements, social distancing measures and business closures, introduced to flatten the infection curve, significantly impacted most people’s usual activities, routines and livelihoods [ 10 ]. While such restrictions have an epidemiological rationale based on slowing down the spread of the virus, it is critical to understand how they affected the daily lived reality of South Africans [ 27 , 28 ]. Data collection for the present study was conducted between November 2020 and March 2021.…”