COVID-19 in our communities

When caution was thrown to the winds

Abstract

Various media channels have tried to increased awareness of the novel coronavirus pandemic especially its effective preventive measures. This awareness however is yet to translate into compliance with the preventive measures. In this paper, we report observation in two communities in Anambra State, south-east Nigeria. Majorly, community members believed that the novel coronavirus was more of a hoax than reality with a negative impact on livelihood. We also found that knowledge of COVID-19 is still low as safety measures are not fully adhered to and often neglected. This negligence is a concern and thus suggests the need for engagement of social workers in the management team of COVID-19 to prevent community transmission. Safety measures through the enforcement of social distancing, hand washing, use of face mask, and other protective measures should be intensified. We recommend the mitigation of the impact of COVID-19 through the distribution of palliatives using community approved standards to address the need of the most vulnerable in local communities.