COVID-19 pandemic: rapid survey on social and mobility impact in Algerian cities

AIMS: The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were very significant on the population following the application of total and partial confinement measures. Our study aimed to investigate the social and mobility impact of confinement on the Algerian population using a cross-sectional survey launched after 3 days of the start of confinement to quickly assess the impacts during the period of March 23 to April 12, 2020. SUBJECT AND METHODS: We used an online questionnaire to obtain 678 responses from internet users, who were living in confinement in Algeria. According to the gender variable, our sample included 405 men (59.7%) and 273 women (40.3%). RESULTS: The statistical analysis performed showed that road interactions and mobility are only part of the social interactions, and that 95.1% of the respondents avoided family visits during these first 3 weeks of confinement. Of respondents, 85.5% spend a considerable amount of time chatting with family, 66.6% found the diet beneficial during this period, 57% participated in sports to preserve their health, 87.2% of respondents respected the travel ban, only 20.2% of those surveyed used a bicycle for travel, and 55.9% traveled on foot to go shopping. CONCLUSION: The study also showed significant impacts on the social aspects linked to travel, namely family relationships and sports activities, as well as significant impacts on the mobility of people.