“Ten days of paid incarceration and mental torture” experiences of quarantined individuals arriving in the UK from red listed countries in southern Africa amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 has affected many communities across the world prompting different strategies of containing it. The strategies to contain COVID-19 included restrictive environments such as self-isolation and quarantine. This research study was set to explore the experiences of quarantined individuals arriving in the United Kingdom (UK) from red listed countries in Southern Africa. This research study utilises an exploratory qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from twenty-five research participants. A thematic approach underpinning the four phases of data analysis in The Silence Framework (TSF) was used to analyse the data. The study found that the research participants reported confinement, dehumanisation, feeling swindled, depressed, anxious and stigmatised. Less restrictive and non-oppressive quarantine regimes should be considered to foster positive mental health outcomes on individuals undergoing quarantine during pandemics.