Abstract
The first months of 2020 were marked by the rapid spread of the acute respiratory disease, which swiftly reached the proportions of a pandemic. The city and county of Suceava, Romania, faced an unprecedented crisis in March and April 2020, triggered not only by the highest number of infections nationwide but also by the highest number of infected health professionals (47.1% of the infected medical staff nationwide, in April 2020). Why did Suceava reach the peak number of COVID-19 cases in Romania? What were the vulnerability factors that led to the outbreak, the closure of the city of Suceava and neighboring localities, and the impossibility of managing the crisis with local resources? What is the relationship between the population’s lack of confidence in the authorities’ ability to solve the crisis, and their attitude towards the imposed measures? The present article aims to provide answers to the above questions by examining the attitudes of the public towards the causes that have led to the outbreak of an epidemiological crisis, systemic health problems, and the capacity of decision makers to intervene both at local and national level. The research is based on an online survey, conducted between April and May 2020, resulting in a sample of 1231 people from Suceava County. The results highlight that the development of the largest COVID-19 outbreak in Romania is, without a doubt, the result of a combination of factors, related to the medical field, decision makers, and the particularities of the population’s behavior.
Highlights
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has seen a sudden and troubling global spread [1,2,3]
The aim of the research is to uncover the perception of the population towards the causes of the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania, the actions of local and national authorities, the behavioral changes generated by local decisions gearing society towards a new reality, and the attitudes towards the restrictions and decisions assumed by authorities
The questionnaire was comprised of 33 questions grouped in distinct research topics to address issues such as the perception of the causes underlying the development of the pandemic in the region, the public attitude towards the responses of authorities and local decision makers, the behavioural changes that occurred during the period of interest, the acceptance and/or rejection of restrictive measures imposed by the emergency ordinance, the perception of the impact of the new reality at individual and community level, and the public attitude towards the way in which civil society has been involved in reducing the impact generated by the crisis
Summary
The responses of authorities and health systems in various states, aiming to decelerate the spread of the virus and decrease the number of infections, have been more or less effective. The overall quality of the health infrastructure, the ability of states to impose and reinforce restrictive measures, as well as the responsibility and behavior of the population that manifests itself differently at national and regional levels, are all determinants that play a crucial role in the efforts to manage the rapid growth of infection rates. Given the global efforts that have been directed towards understanding and managing this pandemic, the scientific literature in the field is rather abundant, with numerous studies addressing the link between various categories of factors—demographic, socio-economic, cultural, environmental—and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population [1,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. One of the main conclusions that can be drawn from existing research is formulated by Cruz et al [9], who argue that “there is no easy answer to why one area should experience COVID-19 differently from
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International journal of environmental research and public health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
