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Title Community Perceptions and Experiences of the South African Governments Response to the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Full text https://escholarship.org/uc/item/85f2k727; https://escholarship.org/content/qt85f2k727/qt85f2k727.pdf
Date 2024
Author(s) Galvin, Michael; Kim, Andrew; Bosire, Edna; Ndaba, Nokubonga; Cele, Lindile; Swana, Someleze; Kwinda, Zwannda; Tsai, Alexander; Moolla, Aneesa
Abstract In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments in low- and middle-income countries largely followed the strategy of national lockdowns adopted by high-income countries. The South African government imposed some the most restrictive policies in the world. In this article, we examine the perceptions and lived experiences of South Africans in Johannesburg in relation to this initial response to the pandemic. In-depth interviews were conducted with a diverse group of 38 South African adults in Johannesburg, South Africa. The analysis followed an inductive approach. The data revealed that the majority of participants had a positive view of the strong response to the first wave of the pandemic by the South African government, including the restrictive lockdown measures. However, concerns regarding the governments response included worries about the economy and livelihoods of poor people under lockdown, divisions in compliance between townships and wealthier communities, poor funding in the healthcare sector, corruption and nepotism in the distribution of government aid, and the lack of cultural adaptation of awareness-raising campaigns about COVID-19. The ability of governments to gauge how populations perceive the effectiveness of public health measures is essential for identifying obstacles to disease-control objectives.
Subject(s) COVID-19; South Africa; coronavirus; government pandemic response; lockdown
Publisher eScholarship, University of California
Type of publication article
Format application/pdf
Source Social and Health Sciences (SaHS)- Formerly African Safety Promotion - A journal of Injury and violence Prevention, vol 22, iss 2
Rights public
Identifier qt85f2k727; info:doi/10.25159/2957-3645/12601
Repository Berkeley - University of California
Added to C-A: 2024-12-16;09:09:21