#11405. Local characterization of the COVID-19 response: the case of a lockdown in Lusaka, Zambia

August 2026publication date
Proposal available till 17-05-2025
4 total number of authors per manuscript0 $

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Journal’s subject area:
Health (social science);
Health Policy;
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health;
Epidemiology;
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Abstract:
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked heated debate among scholars on the relevance of lockdowns. There are those in favour of the lockdown and others who are critical of it. Thus, with the help of the Social Representation Theory (SRT), we set out to explore and document the local characterization of the lockdown by residents. We recruited our participants through convenient and purposive sampling techniques. This was done through the use of the ZAMTEL public phone records. A total of 68 people were selected to take part in this study. We anonymized the demographic characteristics and responses from our participants. Later, thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The lockdown was on one hand lauded for slowing down the incidence rates, preventing fatalities, and protecting the healthcare system from collapse. On the other hand, it was criticized for exacerbating poverty levels, unemployment rates, increasing the rate of mental health problems, aiding gender-based violence, and intensifying political repression and corruption. The results speak to the complexity in the characterization of the lockdown as a response to COVID-19. The study provides grounds for caution on simplistic and binary characterization of lockdowns.
Keywords:
COVID-19; Lockdown; Analysis; Demographic characteristics

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