Exploring barriers to social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Social distancing is an effective intervention for reducing the transmission of COVID-19. However, adherence varies across settings. We explored barriers to compliance with Zimbabwe's social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative study with a sample of 30 key informant interviews and 10 focus group discussions with health workers, village health workers, church leaders, traditional healers, teachers, youth leaders, women leaders, transporters and members of general population purposively selected across 10 sites in Zimbabwe during the period of September-October 2022. We audio-taped the sessions, transcribed them verbatim and translated the data into English. We used inductive thematic analysis to code the data and

SUBMITTER: Mutsaka-Makuvaza MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12593499 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature