Quarantine Experiences of COVID-19 Patient’s Close Contacts in Eastern Samar Province, Philippines

Abstract

Objectives: The primary aim of this qualitative research was to describe the quarantine experiences of COVID-19 patients’ close contacts in the Province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. Methods: The participants were seventeen (17) key informants purposively selected from different municipalities in the province. Data were gathered through key informant interview. Qualitative analyses were done using the thematic analysis. Findings: Results of the study revealed 14 codes, 7 categories within the four themes: (1) the experiences in the initial stage of quarantine period; (2) the experiences in the mid-stage of quarantine period; (3) the experiences in the late stage of quarantine period; and (4) coping mechanism. Novelty: This study highlights that despite the physical symptoms and emotional burden issues, the close contacts showed positive self-coping mechanism approaches which indicated that they were helpless yet resilient during the quarantine period. The external support from their families and the government helped the close contacts to handle the quarantine experience. Keywords: COVID19; close contacts; pandemic experience; quarantine period; thematic analysis