Compliance Toward Protective Precautions During and After the Lockdown Among Citizens of Riyadh.

Wajdan Alassaf,Lama Albakr,Shuruq Alqahtani,Talah Binladen,Hind Alsaeed,Sarah Almagushi,Ghadah Alhussein,Waad Alshahrani

doi:10.7759/cureus.20320

Abstract

Objective: The emergence of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in precautionary measures by governments worldwide to contain the spread of the virus. However, the degree of compliance toward personal precautionary measures has varied, despite the urgent need to contain the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the level of compliance toward personal protective precautions during and after the lockdown among residents of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 1,108 residents using an online survey to collect sociodemographic data, compliance with personal protective measures, and other factors during and after the lockdown. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY) was used for data analysis.Results: During the lockdown, 35.5% of respondents were “very compliant,” whereas 30.1% were “less compliant.” Additionally, compliance levels in those who depended on official sites as their primary source of information were significantly higher than those who depended on their family, friends, and social media. Approximately 39.76% of those who were “very compliant” intended on getting vaccinated against COVID-19, while 28% of those with high compliance did not intend on getting vaccinated. Further, compliance levels were high in participants who were not in direct contact with COVID-19 cases as well.Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of maintaining the level of compliance toward personal precautionary measures against COVID-19 even after lockdown release to prevent further waves. This study showed that compliance toward personal protective measures was high for those who did not have direct contact with COVID-19 positive people after lockdown, those planning for inoculation, and those insuring applications of precautionary measures by their children. Additionally, higher compliance was noted in participants who sought information from official sites.

Highlights

In the last two decades, several pandemics have occurred, including the 2009 H1N1 virus [1]
88.7% reported that they had been infected with COVID-19, while 33.5% of them were in direct contact with an individual who was tested positive for COVID-19
This study showed that compliance toward personal protective measures was very high for those who did not have direct contact with COVID19 positive people after lockdown

Summary

Introduction

In the last two decades, several pandemics have occurred, including the 2009 H1N1 virus [1]. Saudi Arabia implemented drastic measures to contain the pandemic including awareness promotion, hospital preparation, and multiple stages of lockdown [4]. It is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of precautionary measures on the level of compliance toward them during and after lockdown. Both government and individual efforts influence awareness and compliance toward personal protective precautions in the general public to fight against infectious diseases. Stringent government actions to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are essential in containing the spread of infection [5], as prior studies report that quarantine of infected and suspected cases and travel suspension to and from areas of the outbreak were accepted and agreed upon by 95% of Arabs [6]. Studies reveal a bidirectional relationship between long-term public compliance and psychological symptoms during

Results

Discussion

Conclusion