Modeling the Social Responses Towards COVID-19 Outbreak in Pakistan

Abstract

Pandemics have always been influential in shaping the course of human history and altering their social order. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has redefined the crisis associated with global health in the present time. This study titled “Modeling the Social Responses Towards COVID-19 Outbreak in Pakistan” has tried to understand the phenomena of COVID-19 in association with exploring the nuances and complexity of human culture and interactivity. In contrast to other non-human species on Earth, humans have the distinction of responding to any natural disaster in two ways, one is biological and the other one is social. The current study tries to understand the social construction of the pandemic in relationship to the spread of COVID-19 infection and cultural patterns while understandings of COVID-19 at both interpersonal and intrapersonal levels. It also explains the influential cultural factors that shapes the particular social responses towards coronavirus and how the pandemic affects and shapes the domestic lives and family interrelationships. Moreover, it also explores the public's perception and attitudes about COVID-19 and how it affects the spread of the pandemic in Pakistan. The areas covered in the present research include the analysis of diversified social responses and vulnerability to COVID-19 in association with factors like gender, religion, class, education and race. While taking into account the "Anthropology of Pandemics", the current study uses an anthropological qualitative method for data collection. A sample size of thirty respondents was selected through non-probability technique. Furthermore, the study employs qualitative research techniques and tools, for instance, participant observation, in-depth interviews, interview guide, audio recordings, and focus group discussions. The social responses of people regarding the coronavirus have varied on different scales but the struggles under these difficult conditions have been unanimous. Jobs and salaries of a large proportion of population were affected, the poor people running small scale businesses were severely affected due to restrictions imposed by government. COVID-19 has had a deep and profound effect on the priorities of life goals and general provisioning. The current Anthropological research enables us to examine the details of social responses and moral conclusions which people from different fields of life have experienced during this pandemic season.