SOCIAL ISOLATION DURING COVID-19 AND ITS IMPACT ON THE WELLBEING OF PEOPLE IN DISTRICT KHAIRPUR MIR SINDH

Abstract

The current research examined the social isolation during Covid-19 and its impact on the wellbeing of people in District Khairpur Mir, Sindh, Pakistan. COVID-19 outbreaks from China in 2019 and within two months it sent billion of the population across the world into social isolation and lockdown. There was not any vaccine for COVID-19 to cure initially. The only was at the first stages was the observation of lockdown and self-isolation in houses. In this regard, people in District Khairpur Mir, Sindh has also observed isolation due to strict lockdown to curtail the spread of the virus further. The study examined social isolation and its impact on the social, economic, and psychological wellbeing of people in district Khairpur Mir, Sindh. The theory of social capital was applied. The nature of the study was quantitative, the universe was Khairpur District. The population or respondents were males of the districts. The close-ended questionnaire was used for data collection. The convenient sampling technique was applied. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the data systematically. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied as a data analysis technique. The results showed that people have observed social isolation and lockdown to curtail the spread of the virus. It has negatively impacted their social life such as limiting them inside the home, restricting them from participation in social events like marriages, lack of physical contact with friends and relatives etc. Moreover, economically, the social isolation and lockdown have also affected the general population badly: people were uncertain regarding their current jobs, many people have left their jobs, and prices of commodities were increased. Furthermore, people were psychologically depressed: felt frustrated, self-isolated, no physical activities, feeling sad and anxious. On the other hand, lockdown and isolation have brought some positive changes in the lives of the people, such as they have spent quality time with their parents, family members. Moreover, this gave them to take care of their family elders, exercises regularly and have opportunities to work on their hobbies. Keywords: Social-Isolation, Lockdown, COVID-19, Khairpur, Sindh, SPSS, Quantitative, Descriptive, Wellbeing