IntroductionThe current coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has placed unprecedented restrictions on people’s lives and routines. To counteract the exponential spread of this virus, a lockdown was implemented in Germany in March 2020. Infected persons and their contacts were also quarantined. Compliance with quarantine measures is essential for containing the spread of the virus and avoiding incalculable consequences in terms of morbidity and mortality. On the other hand, prolonged homestays, particularly quarantining, may lead to fear, panic, anxiety and depression. Hence, determining the psychological response in people during quarantine and their coping strategies is relevant for the counselling and support of affected persons by healthcare workers.Methods and analysisThe CoCo-Fakt-Survey (Cologne-Corona-Beratung und Unterstützung Für Index- und KontAKt-Personen während der Quarantäne-ZeiT; Cologne-Corona counselling and support for index and contacts during the quarantine period—author’s translation) will examine a cohort of persons in Cologne quarantined since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak during March 2020. The questionnaire will include demographic data, transmission route, health status, knowledge of and adherence to quarantine measurements, psychological impact on individuals and their family members including children, mental health status, and lifestyle (physical activity/sedentary behaviour, relaxation techniques, nutrition, smoking). All Cologne residents who needed to be quarantined due to a coronavirus infection and the individuals with whom they had contact will be surveyed.Ethics and disseminationNo risks have been identified and no complications are expected. Ethics approval was obtained from the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen Human Ethics Research Committee (351/20), and the research will be conducted in accordance with the approved protocol. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and social medicine conferences.

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Measures taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic are particularly stressful for families. Limited data is available regarding the effects of a mandatory quarantine on the psychological stress of children, adolescents and their parents. Quarantined individuals participating in the online-based CoCo-Fakt study had at least one child <3, 3 to <6, 6 to <10, 10 to <14 and 14 to <16 years old (n = 2153). Parents were asked about how often their children felt nervous, anxious, or tense, down or depressed, lonely or physical reactions occur. A relative sum score characterizing psychosocial stress was determined and related to parents’ socio-demographic factors, psychosocial distress, coping strategies and resilience. Parents reported significantly higher psychological stress if at least one child was quarantined. Parents’ relative psychological stress sum score had the strongest influence on the psychological state of the children across all age groups (β = 0.315–0.457) besides male sex of the reporting parent, no partnership, low to medium socioeconomic status, lower resilience and coping scores, and parents quarantined as close contacts. The variance in the linear regression models was between 17.8% and 31.4%. These findings highlight that the entire family system must be considered during official mandatory quarantines.