Protective Behaviors and Secondary Harms Resulting From Nonpharmaceutical Interventions During the COVID-19 Epidemic in South Africa: Multisite, Prospective Longitudinal Study.

Guy Harling Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé Joseph Tlouyamma Tinofa Mutevedzi Chodziwadziwa Whiteson Kabudula Ruth Mahlako Urisha Singh Daniel Ohene-Kwofie Rose Buckland Pedzisai Ndagurwa Dickman Gareta Resign Gunda Thobeka Mngomezulu Siyabonga Nxumalo Emily B Wong Kathleen Kahn Mark J Siedner Eric Maimela Stephen M Tollman Mark A Collinson Kobus Herbst

Published in: JMIR public health and surveillance (2021)

South Africans complied with stringent, COVID-19-related NPIs despite the threat of substantial social, economic, and health repercussions. Government-supported social welfare programs appeared to buffer interruptions in income and health care access during local outbreaks. Epidemic control policies must be balanced against the broader well-being of people in resource-limited settings and designed with parallel support systems when such policies threaten peoples' income and access to basic services.

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