In Nigeria, the unmarried, the unemployed, the less educated and those from the northern parts of the country were most susceptible to psychological challenges associated with COVID-19 lockdown.
Law enforcement is a blunt tool to achieve social conformity with COVID-safe rule. It’s time to start thinking about other strategies to promote new norms.
Research suggests the coronavirus pandemic’s greatest impact is due to people changing their behaviour voluntarily. So we may be overestimating the costs of government restrictions.
The best option is for infected people to be admitted to hospitals or other suitable health facilities. This will help prevent transmission within families.
The Victorian spike serves as a reminder that we are still very much in a pandemic. We need to come to terms with the fact we will need follow the basics of infection control for some time.
A survey conducted in April revealed more than half the participants flouted social distancing rules to go shopping for non-essential items, and visit friends or family.
Official government guidelines say businesses should not collect customer details in a book or notepad where other customers can see them. But many establishments haven’t heeded the advice.
Shaun Hendy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Alex James, University of Canterbury; Audrey Lustig, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research; Michael Plank, University of Canterbury; Nicholas Steyn, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Rachelle Binny, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
Two new cases of COVID-19 have been announced in New Zealand, after 23 consecutive days with no new cases. But that doesn’t mean that the country’s elimination efforts have failed.
Dreams that are more vivid, more frequent and more striking… Lockdown seems to trouble our nights as well as our days, and there’s reason to believe that’s not just a figment of our imagination.
It’s possible to evaluate countries’ readiness to lift their lockdowns, based on how well they managed the first wave of the pandemic, and how ready they are for a digital economy.
As New Zealand prepares to ease its lockdown from April 28, new COVID-19 clusters are likely to emerge – but a combination of testing and contact tracing should be able to stamp out major outbreaks.