![]() ![]() After the first confirmed case in early March 2020, South Africa instituted a strong policy response to curtail the epidemic’s spread. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a substantial toll worldwide in morbidity, mortality, and social and economic disruption. Research should also seek to identify tailored responses to effectively address the challenges of marginalized communities that often have limited resources to deal with pandemics and policies to contain them. The differences between these outcomes and those in more advantaged communities deserve investigation. DiscussionĬOVID-19 and the lockdown disrupted Alexandra residents’ lives through unemployment, lost income, mental health problems, and increased violence. Self-reported physical violence victimization increased. The prevalence of past-week alcohol use fell from over 50% before the lockdown to less than 10% during the lockdown. Over 80% reported stress or anxiety, or depression due to the pandemic. Smaller percentages reported such changes for other items. A majority reported price rises and declines in availability of food. About 50% of respondents reported stockpiling food. Over half of households lost at least one source of income. About 70% of those employed before the lockdown were no longer working. Respondents were aged 18 to 89 and 47% female. We examined economic consequences health experiences, including COVID-19 exposure and mental health symptoms alcohol use and personal experiences with violence. ![]() We conducted a telephone survey May 11–22, 2020, while the lockdown and alcohol ban were in effect, of a spatially stratified sample of 353 adult Alexandra residents drawn randomly from voter registration, credit card application, and prior studies’ sampling frames. This study investigated how COVID-19 and lockdown policies affected residents of Alexandra, one of Johannesburg, South Africa’s lowest-income townships. ![]() Little research has examined how pandemics affect residents in under-resourced communities.
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