A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Prevention Measures: Insights from Staff and Students at a University in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction COVID-19, akin to other respiratory ailments, posed severe challenges that called for non-pharmaceutical interventions to curtail transmission and infection rates. This study delved into the understanding and adherence to preventive measures against COVID-19 among students and staff at a higher education institution in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Methods: For this qualitative study, snowball sampling was employed to purposefully select willing and eligible participants from the student and staff population. Data were gathered during the third wave of COVID-19 in 2021 through telephonic key informant interviews (tKII) involving eighteen participants. Each interview was facilitated using a guide, and the proceedings were audio recorded and subsequently transcribed. Results: The most recurrent theme was identified via a word cloud before conducting a thorough thematic analysis. Several themes emerged, including perceptions of preventive practices, steps a suspected case should undertake, and self-reported responses to a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case. Participants expressed a prevalent non-compliance issue, attributing it to ignorance, misconceptions, and controversial beliefs that COVID-19 is a man-made and therefore, an unavoidable disease. Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of reinforcing technical implementation and rigorous monitoring across all sectors - education, healthcare, and community at large - to ensure strict adherence to preventive measures during a pandemic.