Realness of coronavirus

Most of the participants held that the coronavirus existed while recognising that many had doubts about its realness. The few participants who firmly argued that coronavirus did not exist admitted they did not know why they were of that opinion, or as a girl confirmed: ‘I don’t know why I don’t believe’. A doubtful girl argued: ‘I haven‘t seen anyone here in Bissau who has caught the disease, at least not in the neighbourhood where I live.’ Some participants did not doubt the existence of coronavirus but argued that it was not yet in the country. A boy who believed the coronavirus had arrived pointed out that many people said there was no coronavirus in Guinea-Bissau, but the authorities said so ‘because of the money.’ A boy warned against waiting with preventive measures until someone got sick. Indeed, none of the participants did know a person who had caught the disease.

The main reason for believing in the existence of coronavirus was that ‘all had stopped’ because of the state of emergency. A girl claimed that the virus existed: ‘It has killed many people. It has spread all over the world.’ A boy confirmed: ‘There are already many cases [in the country]. That‘s why I believe.’ Opinions varied on the danger of catching the disease and access to treatment. Some underlined that it was perilous, and many worried about the lack of treatment. Others highlighted that anyway, many had survived; thus, there had to be available treatment. Simultaneously, many participants said that the future was in the hands of God, independent of whether there was a disease or not. What was real to all participants was the state of emergency and its consequences, including demands to stay at home.

Staying at home

The state of emergency resulted in a sharp change in daily routines for all participants. Suddenly they had to stay at home most of the time, which meant staying within the house or outside, for instance, in the backyard. A girl explained: ‘We only stay at home because if someone violates [the curfew], the police will reprimand him. We are forced to stay at home.’ Many were unhappy staying at home and complained about having nothing to do and being bored. Many missed their friends and school colleagues and were concerned about their well-being. One participant said: ‘I miss my classmates and teachers and the things we used to do at school.’ Relations with friends had weakened, and a girl argued: ‘If we were together playing, you would feel closer to each other. Now, when we meet, we just greet and pass. It’s not like it used to be.’

A few girls appreciated spending more time with their families. ‘I think that before, each one had his errands to run, we didn't have the time to sit at home, to talk to each other,’ a girl explained, ‘but today, when there is nowhere to go, we sit, we stay having fun at home.’ Some participants described how they began to engage in house chores and took on new tasks, such as weaving, embroidering, helping younger siblings with schoolwork, and informing them about how to protect themselves from the virus. Preoccupation with small children was shared, or as one girl explained: ‘They get up in the morning, they take a shower, they have breakfast, and they sit inside from the morning until the sun goes down, they don’t go out on the street, because of coronavirus.’

Accounts on violence were mixed. Four participants argued that there was no problem with violence at home, and one meant that it had decreased. These participants explained that family members were united in avoiding the disease and tried to create a friendly atmosphere at home. A girl pointed out that it was not easy to detect violence within the house, and only a few participants talked about such violence. Only occasionally did they mention specific cases. A girl reported no such problems in her home except that her mother scolded her and her siblings a lot. Another one experienced tense relations between siblings, and a boy disclosed that his uncle and his wife began arguing in the wake of the pandemic.

Almost all observed change in violence within their neighbourhood, with 22 out of 30 participants reporting a decrease, seen as a positive aspect of the lockdown. A girl explained: ‘There are no fights nowadays because of the disease; everyone avoids each other, nobody fights.’ Another one pointed out that before the pandemic, there were fights all the time: ‘Now, since this illness came, all these things have diminished, everyone stays at home.’ Three argued there were no problems with violence in the streets, while two argued it had increased due to drunkenness and thefts. Some highlighted that police violence had increased against those who did not follow the curfew rules or correctly practice preventive measures.

Practising prevention

The participants got information about the coronavirus from radio, some on television, others from friends and one learnt about the disease and prevention in church. Most participants claimed that they and their family members tried to follow preventive measures while pointing out that many failed to do so, mainly because they did not believe in the disease. Yet, conscious of the contradiction, a girl maintaining that the disease did not exist said that she did ‘everything to prevent it.’ Three main preventive measures were mentioned: wearing masks, washing hands with soap or bleach, and keeping physical distance.

Wearing masks was mandatory when meeting other than family members and going on the street. A boy did his best to ‘avoid crowding, to always keep distance from each other, and to wear masks.’ A girl explained that ‘where there are many people, especially in the market, you have to wear a mask.’ Running errands or going to work, when allowed, was problematic, and with a lack of transport, it could be difficult to reach home in time. Those confronted with the police along the way had bad luck. The police would pick up people, even adults and imprison them. ‘They only leave if they pay a fine of 5,000 CFA francs [about €7.6],’ a girl stated. The police would not bother to ask for the reason for staying on the street during curfew, and ‘if you don’t have the money to pay, they beat you.’

A few participants described that family members would even wear masks at home. A girl explained: ‘We wash our hands with soap, we sit away from each other at home, everyone keeps their distance. One sits here, another sits there, we don’t approach each other, and we use masks.’ At times, a particular family member controlled the in-household behaviour. ‘Even watching television at home, my grandmother makes us sit far away from each other,’ a boy said. Another one explained that his father kept family members apart, though it was easy to forget the distance when having fun. Others admitted difficulties in keeping physical distance due to circumstances. ‘Because we sleep in the same room and eat from the same bowl, we cannot distance from each other,’ a boy explained.

Fragile livelihood

Almost all the participants agreed that the lockdown negatively impacted their financial situation. Parents or other family members were unable to earn money for enough food. They mentioned higher prices for transport and groceries. A girl explained how her father was forced to stop working as his clients ran out of money: ‘We are having difficulties, some days we cook, and other days we don’t.’ Many talked about hunger. One admitted his family sometimes only ate at lunchtime and ‘then we eat a little bit and save the rest for the night. But if you’re hungry, you eat everything at once and at night, you have no food.’

Most of the participants, who engaged in work within the informal sector, had quit. That applied to both out-of-school adolescents and those working along with their studies. A girl said: ‘I used to prepare cassava couscous, which I took to the street to sell, and that is what I do in my spare time.’ Another one explained: ‘I used to go to school in the morning, … after I finished with the studies, I went out to sell on the street.’ Nonetheless, some had taken up new activities; a boy, who was attending a private school, began training as a mechanic under the tutelage of his uncle. Further, some participants or friends had travelled to help with farming in the rural areas.

Many participants worried about the impact of COVID-19 on society at large. One girl explained: ‘It has had a negative impact because people are not working, and they are not getting paid. How are they going to eat … how are they going to survive with their families?’ Another confirmed: ‘I feel for those who provide for their families, like our parents, if you stop their work … the family will die of hunger.’

Almost all the participants were concerned about school closures. The out-of-school participants had the dream to return to school one day, given the economic means, and they worried about how the pandemic might hamper that dream. Those attending school, public or private, wanted to continue their education. They were all upset over the school closures and the lack of support during the lockdown. Some participants did not worry about the impact of COVID-19. A girl argued: ‘I don‘t think this disease influences my future. It will end. God will help.’ Many admitted praying for the disease to disappear for them to continue with their lives.