Lessons Learnt during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Qualitative Study of South African Families

Abstract

In a pandemic, such as COVID-19, with every single person struggling to deal with the unknown, it is often within the family that support is found but it is also within the family that circumstances, contexts and behaviours could further drive the pandemic and where they struggle to cope. This is novel research in the South African context with no known information regarding family life during and post the pandemic. This study, therefore, explores the lessons learnt during COVID-19 by South African families. A qualitative approach was employed to guide the gathering and analysis of the data. Data were collected from a sample of 31 family members above the age of 18 years from communities of the Western Cape Province and analysed through thematic analysis. According to the participants interviewed some of the significant lessons learnt from the lockdown include hygiene and health consciousness, appreciation for family, valuing life, self-introspection, less dependency, remote working, and financial savings. The realisation of such lessons even post-pandemic has the potential of strengthening families to be a resource of coping and resilience during very difficult times at the same time, contributing to greater physical, social, and economic functioning of families across South Africa.

The socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on families affected by childhood respiratory illnesses in Cape Town, South Africa

“…Similarly, families in our study had to depend on external family members for basic necessities and in some cases cut on meals and ration food. Another study conducted by [ 39 ] found that families that had savings managed to sustain their families but those who did not have any savings were placed in a difficult position. Similarly, we found only one family had savings that they could tap into during the pandemic while many others did not.…”

Patrones de conducta social de trabajadores informales durante eventos extremos: lecciones de la vida social durante la pandemia de covid-19 en Lima, Perú

“…Algunos han subrayado el recorte del consumo de alimentos y de la canasta familiar, así como cambios en los hábitos alimenticios (46) ; la búsqueda de préstamos familiares o bancarios; el cambio de actividad económica; o el regreso a su lugar de origen (47,48) . Asimismo, diferentes estudios evidencian las nuevas dinámicas como el espacio compartido del trabajo y el cuidado en el hogar, sobre todo por parte de las mujeres (49) ; el fortalecimiento de los vínculos familiares, que fueron antes relegados por el trabajo (50) . En general, la literatura sobre la epidemia y pospandemia muestra que hay tres rutas sociales pospandémicas, no necesariamente alternativas: la primera, la continuación de las tendencias anteriores; la segunda, el surgimiento de desvíos limitados hacia patrones de conducta modificados; y la tercera, la instalación de nuevos hábitos sociales (51) .…”

Domestic Violence in the Wake of Covid-19: Intervention Measures to Ameliorate the Impact

“…People have started to give much thought and attention to the healthcare system with the aim of a more prosperous and sustainable future for all. In the study of Donga et al (2021), the interviewees confirmed that they learnt some significant lessons from the lockdown, varying from hygiene care, health awareness, working remotely, and the very need for financial savings, among others. It is essential for society to erect upon the experience of this pandemic to calibrate according to the necessary strategies in dealing with this pandemic for a better healthy environment (Forman et al, 2020).…”