Understanding perception and experience of fear during mandatory quarantine: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana

Ofori, D.W and Antwi, J (2022) 'Understanding perception and experience of fear during mandatory quarantine: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.' In: Fymat, A.L, Romm, N.R.A and Kapalanga, J, eds. COVID-19: perspectives across Africa. Tellwell, Victoria, pp. 139-152. ISBN 9780228874409

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has manifested differently across the globe in terms of its sociocultural and economic impacts. The World Health Organization (WHO) developed guidelines for the effective implementation of local or national quarantine protocols to quickly detect people who have been exposed to COVID-19 and separate them from others during the disease’s incubation period. This chapter examines how Ghanaians perceive and experience fear under quarantine in the various designated quarantine centers (Pentecost Community Center and Pram-pram Convention Center). Drawing on the interpretive inquiry lens, data were collected through phone/Skype interviews with six individuals who had been quarantined with experience to share. Interpretative Phenomenology Approach (IPA) for data analysis was used to interpret the views and experiences of participants under quarantine and how that affected their well-being. Using the WHO quarantine guidelines, our analyses focused on individual’s experience of fear under quarantine, offering an insight into what characterizes their fear as well as exploring events, coping strategies, and the implementation of standard quarantine protocols in the country. The results showed that the quarantine protocols used by the officials in Ghana aligned with the WHO guidelines, albeit with some exceptions; these omissions partly compounded the fear experienced by those who were quarantined in the various centers. This chapter contributes to issues of distinct emotions and individual viewpoints under mandatory quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic in a specific country context.

Item Type:	Book Chapter or Section
Note:	Proceedings for the Seventh Annual International (digital) Conference organised jointly by the Society for the Advancement of Science in Africa's (SASA) and the Ugandan Ministry of Health. The conference was conducted on various dates between 15 October 2020 and 14 January 2021 in Kampala, Uganda.
Keywords:	COVID-19 fear, distinct emotions, quarantine centers, interpretive review, Ghana
Divisions:	Bath Business School
Date Deposited:	20 Feb 2023 10:58
Last Modified:	03 Jan 2024 11:29
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/15230

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