Community perception on public health measures for COVID-19 prevention/control

Whereas most of the evidence generated from the start of the global pandemic, COVID-19, focuses on epidemiological, diagnostic and clinical aspects of the illness, importance of social aspects has also been highlighted. This has been included as one of the 34 knowledge gaps specified in the WHO R&D Blueprint WHO 2019 Novel Coronavirus Global research and innovation forum: towards a research roadmap published recently. One of the key approaches to containing COVID-19 has been self-quarantine and social distancing, which although is the need of the day but not easy to manage posing multiple challenges especially in a Pakistani community which follows strong cultural and social beliefs. It is, therefore important to identify the perception, practice and attitude of the community towards containing this disease. These insights are important for national health officials planning to implement control measures in an existing diverse socio-cultural system, an aspect which has been highlighted in the National Action Plan (NAP) for COVID-19 in Pakistan, published on 13th March 2020. For further information, see: https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/respire/covid-19/community-perception-public-health-measures