Abstract
The highly contagious 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has not only impacted health systems, economies, and governments, it has also rapidly grown into a global health crisis, which is now threatening the lives of millions of people globally. While, on one hand, medical institutions are critically attempting to find a cure, on the other hand, governments have introduced striking measures and policies to curtail the rapid spread of the disease. Although COVID-19 has achieved pandemic status and is predominantly viewed as a biomedical issue, it is argued that it should also be treated as a psychological crisis. This paper also reviews the literature to examine and comment on the detrimental effects of isolation, which has been enforced as one of the primary preventative measures to manage the spread of COVID-19. This paper further outlines key recommendations that should be addressed across different levels to buffer against the known adverse effects of isolation, which is especially relevant for the current COVID-19 situation, where a large proportion of the global population is isolated, confined, and/or quarantined.
Highlights
Epidemiological research suggests that the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, has rapidly spread from a seafood and wet animal market in Wuhan (China) in December 2019 to over 216 countries worldwide in June 2020, with 7,127,753 confirmed cases and 407,159 deaths (World Health Organization, 2020a,b)
Given the deleterious effects of isolation and the serious consequences they may have on the health and wellbeing of individuals, it is argued that it must be treated as a crisis and that a collaborative, concerted, and committed effort must be made to buffer against the known adverse effects of isolation
Considering the limitations found in the extant literature reviewed, this paper addresses a number of shortcomings and proposes practical and workable solutions to address isolation crisis
Summary
Epidemiological research suggests that the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, has rapidly spread from a seafood and wet animal market in Wuhan (China) in December 2019 to over 216 countries worldwide in June 2020, with 7,127,753 confirmed cases and 407,159 deaths (World Health Organization, 2020a,b). For the purpose of this paper, a thymological view has been adopted, and isolation has been defined as a real or perceived state, where an individual experiences separation from their usual sense of being and feels limited in internal and/or external space or movement and interpersonal connections, which results in detrimental psychophysiological alterations and decrements in adaptation and performance In light of this definition and the current circumstances that surround COVID-19 pandemic, this perspective considers the different but related concepts of loneliness, solitude, quarantine, and confinement to fall under the broader rubric of isolation. It is hoped that this perspective will highlight that the interim solution of isolation may potentially proliferate other vulnerabilities and warrants further investigation and analysis
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