Public perceptions and experiences of social distancing and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A UK-based focus group study

Simon N Williams; Christopher J Armitage; Tova Tampe; Kimberly Dienes

is the (which was not peer-reviewed) The copyright holder for this preprint . https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04. 10.20061267 doi: medRxiv preprint challenges for public health policymakers, including a lack of trust in government; [8] concerns over strains in family resources; [8] gaps and confusions in some areas of pandemic information communication; [9] and low adherence to voluntary social isolation and relatively low adherence to non-attendance at public gatherings. [10] Although there is existing research from past pandemics on its likely effects, [6] and new quantitative research is starting to emerge, [11] there is no published qualitative evidence on public perceptions and experiences of the psychological and social public experiences of COVID-19 related social distancing and social isolation, and its relation to adherence -a gap that the present study addresses.