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BACKGROUND: In a short time, COVID-19 adopted the proportions of a pandemic. Consequently, measures as social distancing were adopted to try to slow down the spread of the disease. The objective of this study was to understand the behavior of the Brazilian older adults during a period of social restriction by Covid-19.METHODS: 61 healthy older adults participated in this study. A questionnaire was applied over 12 months from the beginning of the social restriction recommendations using only telephone contact. The questionnaire included the profile of falls during the evaluation period and 4 questions based on fear and risk of infection by Covid-19, the practice of physical activity and compliance with measures of social restriction. The chi-square test (X2) was used to observe the possible associations between the independent and dependent variables.RESULTS: Most participants were female (90.2%), with mean age of 67 years and secondary education level. 78.7% adopted social restriction measures in the first month while in the last six months 54.1% of the participants complied with restrictive measures. The analysis of the chi-square test showed significant association between the evaluation period and social restriction [X2 (2) = 22.072; p = 0.000] and the risk of being infected [X2 (2) = 17.561; p = 0.000].CONCLUSION: There was a reduction in the number of older adults who complied with social restriction over time and a decrease in the practice of physical exercises in the sample evaluated.