Abstract
Background: The first national COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom between March to July 2020 resulted in sudden and unprecedented disruptions to daily life. This study sought to understand the impact of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as social distancing and quarantine, on people's lived experiences, focusing on social connections and relationships. Methods: Data were generated through 20 in-depth online and telephone interviews, conducted between May and July 2020, and analysed using thematic analysis informed by an ecological framework. Results: Findings show that the use of NPIs impacted social relationships and sociality at every level, disrupting participant's sense of self; relationships with their partners, household members, neighbours, and communities; and polarising social and political views. However, experiences of personal meaning-making and reflection, and greater social connectedness, solidarity, and compassion - despite physical distance - were also common. Conclusions: Participant's lived experiences of the first UK lockdown underscore the interconnectedness of relationships at the individual, community and societal level and point towards the important role of trust, social cohesion, and connectedness in coping with pandemic stress and adversity. Where infectious disease prevention measures rupture sociality, support for social connection at every relational level is likely to help build resilience in light of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
Highlights
Around the world, the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in the implementation of many non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce viral transmission (World Health Organization, 2019)
In the United Kingdom (UK), the first COVID-19 case was recorded on 31 January 2020 and between April and May 2020, the UK was experiencing its first COVID-19 wave, peaking on 8 April 2020 with 1075 deaths among people who tested positive for COVID-19 within 28 days of death (Office for National Statistics, 2021; UK Government COVID-19, 2021)
This study provides unique record of the lived experience of people living through the first UK national COVID-19 lockdown, detailing the relational experiences at this time of unprecedented public health and social distancing measures
Summary
The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in the implementation of many non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce viral transmission (World Health Organization, 2019). The first national COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom between March to July 2020 resulted in sudden and unprecedented disruptions to daily life. This study sought to understand the impact of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as social distancing and quarantine, on people’s lived experiences, focusing on social connections and relationships. Conclusions: Participant’s lived experiences of the first UK lockdown underscore the interconnectedness of relationships at the individual, community and societal level and point towards the important role of trust, social cohesion, and connectedness in coping with pandemic stress and adversity. Where infectious disease prevention measures rupture sociality, support for social connection at every relational level is likely to help build resilience in light of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions
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