COVID-19 Experiences and Coping Strategies: The Case of Differently Sized Businesses in South Africa

Businesses have experienced the impacts of COVID-19 differently due to their inherent characteristics and resilience capabilities. Understanding the varied experiences of businesses is an important ingredient for a well-informed policy and for future preparedness. The purpose of this study is to conduct a qualitative analysis of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on different businesses (small, medium, and large) and their coping strategies. The findings reveal different experiences among the businesses;the majority of small businesses were unable to change their business operation model due to logistics and infrastructure constraints, forcing most to temporarily close or pause operations, unlike the larger businesses that had a relatively inbuilt resilience structure. It is also interesting to report that government relief schemes were mainly utilized by larger businesses, arguably due to their formal nature and organized labour, whereas most smaller businesses were out of operation or relying on family support networks for survival. This study further identifies different approaches such as adjusting cost structures, temporary closures, transitioning to an online business (ICT) model, reskilling staff, and retrenchment as some coping strategies. Lessons learned and recommendations are provided at the end of this study.

Determining Factors of Psychosocial Wellbeing Among People With Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mediating Role of Social Support

This study aimed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the stress levels and life satisfaction of individuals with disabilities and what role social support plays in mitigating these impacts. Data from individuals with disabilities (n = 600) were extracted from a larger international cross-sectional survey study. Regression analyses were conducted to examine how personal and environmental factors contributed to stress levels and life satisfaction changes during the pandemic. Mediation analyses were used to test whether social support mediated the association between stress level and life satisfaction. The negative impact of the pandemic, having a psychiatric disability, being a female, and being younger significantly predicted stress levels. Moreover, the negative impact of the pandemic and stress levels significantly predicted life satisfaction. The relationship between stress levels and life satisfaction was mediated by social support from significant others and friends. There is an urgent need to provide training and education for healthcare professionals, families, and caregivers on the basic aspects of mental health care, developing time-limited and culturally-sensitive mental health interventions, and strategies for expanding the social support system for the population. Broad dissemination of effective therapeutic strategies is crucial in mitigating the negative psychosocial impact of the pandemic.

The Socioeconomic Determinants of Food and Nutritional Security in Rural and Urban Area of Pakistan during Covid-19

Food insecurity and poor health is turning out to be one of the biggest global issues especially during the pandemic period. Food value chains of developing countries has drastically affected and linked with the problem of food insecurity and malnutrition during covid-19. Keeping in view the importance of this key issue, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of covid-19 on food and nutritional (macro and micro nutrition) status by using the calories and nutrition intake method in the rural and urban areas of district Faisalabad. Food security index was used to estimate the absolute food security status and Logistic Regression Model was employed to examine the effect of covid 19 on food security. Primary data set of almost 500 households were collected from the rural and urban areas. The results show that calories and macronutrient's security status was better in the urban areas while the situation of micro nutrients was better in rural areas. It was found that nearly 49 percent households in rural areas and 43 percent households in urban areas were food and nutrition secure during covid-19. The impact of covid-19 was evident in urban areas especially in low-income households and people who earn daily wages. The regression analysis showed that prevalence of disease, education, household income, family size, number daily intake meals, age of household head and land size have shown significant effects on the food and nutrition security status in both rural and urban areas.Copyright © 2022 Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering. All rights reserved.

The Societal Significance of Informal Economics during the COVID-19 Pandemic in an African City

The COVID-19 pandemic compelled many African countries to make decisions that lim-ited livelihood choices. This article examines how informal traders (IT) in Kumasi, Ghana responded to the COVID-19. It explores the livelihood capacities, socioeconomic, socio-cultural, and sociopolitical values of informal economics. Using data from multiple sources, the purchase and sale of personal protective equipment (PPE) emerged as the dominant livelihood activity. The results show that IT innovated their way of trading, realigned livelihood activities, and created cross-sectoral networks that enhanced social cohesion. The emerging informal market catalyzed spin-off activities that linked values of the informal sector to the public, distributing agencies, producing companies, and the government. We argue that IT constitute a "natural” and "indispensable” share of Ghana's urban economic, cultural, and governance space. The values of IT expressed within and between these distinct societal spheres should be amplified in the development discourses of countries like Ghana. © The Author(s).

Perceived constraints and impacts of online learning experiences by Indonesian university students during COVID-19

Introduction: Many educational institutions introduced online learning during COVID-19 to cope with the social distancing and lockdown policies. The students face challenges in adapting to new circumstances and the unprecedented use of technology. Thisstudyaimedtoidentifytheconstraints and impacts experienced by students during online learning. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design approach for 407 students who participated in online learning. Sampling used a non-probability technique, namely the snowball sampling technique. The constraints and impacts of online learning were measured using a questionnaire. The statistical test used the Pearson correlation test. Results: The results indicated a strong correlation between constraints and the impacts of online learning (p-value = 0.0001). Furthermore, a correlation test of constraints and each domain of online learning impacts was carried out. The statistical test results showed a correlation between constraints and impact caused by online learning, including with psychological (p-value = 0.0001, r = 0.67), physical (p-value = 0.0001, r = 0.51) and social (p-value = 0.0001, r = 0.62). Conclusion: Despite the constraints of online learning, it has helped students continue their education. Moreover, identifying constraints is essential in ensuring there is the utilization of various strategies that will help in the optimization of online learning and reduce its impacts of it. © 2022 Academia Nacional de Medicina. All rights reserved.

Perceived COVID-19 impacts on auxiliary police in China

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assesses whether supervisor justice is linked to COVID-19 negative and positive impacts directly and indirectly through the mechanisms of stress and resiliency among auxiliary police in China. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilized survey data from more than 300 auxiliary police in a large Chinese provincial capital city in 2020. Structural equation modeling was conducted to analyze the direct and indirect relationships between supervisor justice and COIVD-19 impacts. Findings: Results indicate that supervisor justice connects to COVID-19 negative impacts indirectly through stress. Supervisor justice is also indirectly related to positive impact through resiliency. Research limitations/implications: The findings' generalizability is limited due to using a nonrandom sample of officers. Officers' emotional states in the forms of stress and resiliency are important in mediating the association between supervisory justice and COVID-19 impacts. Originality/value: The present study represents one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the occupational experiences of a vital group of frontline workers in Chinese policing. This study also generates evidence to support the importance of officers' emotional conditions in reducing negative COVID-19 impacts in an authoritarian country. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

COVID-19 and its impact on tourism sectors: implications for green economic recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic posed huge hurdles to green economic recovery and the tourism sector. This paper examines challenges in the Zhejiang, Fujian, and Shandong provinces of China' coastal tourism and green economic growth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. To assess this impact, the study used econometrics models based on the Chinese provincial data from March 2020 to April 2021. According to the results, coastal tourism's related income fell drastically regardless of where the people live. Fisherman's earnings dropped by 26%, while captains and owner's earnings dropped by 49% on average. This also resulted in a shortage of food supply that endangered food security. During the pandemic, the number and duration of tourism trips dropped in all study locations. In addition, results indicated that in the wake of COVID-19, lower economic growth and recessions resulted in a significant decline in green investments. The paper proposes that to achieve green recovery and the recovery of the tourism sector, the local and central governments need to increase green investments and the literacy of the people in charge of coastal tourism.

COVID-19: a catalyst for revitalizing mixed-use urban centers? The case of Paris

Since the mid-1990s, the French public authorities have changed regulations to allow commercial building conversions into housing. The COVID-19 crisis has affected the global economy, social connections, environmental trajectories and energy demand/supply. Countries have been considering measures to reduce the pandemic's long-term impact and since the beginning of 2020, national governments have recommended that companies facilitate remote work. Thus, COVID-19 has prompted some office building depopulation. With working from home expected to continue after the pandemic, due to technological, environmental and economic considerations, there is a growing impetus to convert empty office space into residential uses. The present research aims, through the Parisian case study, to consider the impacts of the pandemic and the acceleration of homeworking. Using a mixed qualitative and quantitative methodology, the study aims to (1) critically analyse the policy tools implemented by the Paris municipality following the COVID-19 pandemic to accelerate commercial building conversions and (2) evaluate the potential for such conversions, considering former policies. We found that adaptive reuse policies have been implemented following the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. However, according to the collected data, conversion potential is limited, due to the continuing demand for office space despite the changes and economic considerations. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

SSP economic growth projections: Major changes of key drivers in integrated assessment modelling

GDP scenarios are major drivers of climate change and climate change mitigation assessment studies. In this paper, a major update of the SSP GDP projections is presented. By using the most recent economic data and short-term projections by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the update captures changes in the system of national accounting and purchasing power parities, as well as the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic. Harmonization between the data and the original end-of-the century SSP projections was carried out in terms of GDP per capita in order to preserve the underlying narrative of income convergence. The result is a set of projections compatible with the most recent data and the SSP narratives. A comparison of DICE models calibrated to the original and updated SSP2 GDP per capita projections illustrates how significant the impact of an update of income data on integrated assessment results can be. The estimated global social costs of carbon in 2015 and 2030 rose by almost 30%. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

"I Carry the Trauma and Can Vividly Remember": Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Frontline Health Care Workers in South Africa.

We know from research that pandemics and disease outbreaks expose HCWs to an increased risk of short and long-term psychosocial and occupational impacts. We conducted qualitative research among 44 frontline health care workers (FHCWs) practicing in seven South African hospitals and clinics. FHCWs were interviewed on their experiences of working during the first-wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and its perceived impact on their wellness. In this study, FHCWs included the non-medical and medical professionals in direct contact with COVID-19 patients, providing health care and treatment services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the FHCWs reported stressful and traumatic experiences relating to being exposed to a deadly virus and working in an emotionally taxing environment. They reported depression, anxiety, traumatic stress symptoms, demoralization, sleep difficulties, poor functioning, increased irritability and fear of being infected or dying from COVID-19. The mental health impacts of COVID-19 on HCWs were also associated with increased poor physical wellbeing, including fatigue, burnout, headache, and chest-pains. FHCWs reported professional commitment and their faith as critical intrinsic motivators that fostered adaptive coping while working on the frontline during the first-wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many alluded to gaps in workplace psychosocial support which they perceived as crucial for coping mentally. The findings point to a need to prioritize interventions to promote mental wellness among FHCWs to ensure the delivery of quality healthcare to patients during pandemics or deadly disease outbreaks.

Derivation of Recommendations for Action for Sustainable Development in the Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the outbreak of a pandemic due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the present paper gives an overview of the impacts that this unprecedented situation has had on the environment, the economy and society so far. It will be explained in the paper in what way modeling and simulation helps to understand and to forecast the spread of disease by focusing on compartment models and agent-based models. The presentation of the extent of the consequences in the form of a literature review and the following derivation of recommendations for action highlight the weaknesses of the current economic system. In this respect, the key finding of the research showed that society would be more resilient towards crises like COVID-19 with a regionally and long-term oriented economy that puts social equity and environmental protection first. Therefore, political leaders must rethink the way business is done and should use the crisis as an opportunity to unite the rebuilding of the economy with sustainable development. Models and simulations can assist in finding an appropriate action plan. © 2021 9th International Workshop on Simulation for Energy, Sustainable Development and Environment, SESDE 2021. All rights reserved.

Perceptions and Pedagogical Responses of Construction Educators During COVID-19

COVID-19 impacted academia across the globe. Given the scale and sudden pandemic onset, limited empirical studies identify the transition’s impact on the US construction educators and education imparted. The study determined the pedagogical responses of educators associated with construction programs within the US during COVID-19 and tested six relationships in the areas of university support, technological access and infrastructure, and educator proficiency improvements. An online survey method was utilized with the instrument emailed to nearly 1,883 educators associated with construction programs/departments across the US. The study used 163 complete responses from US educators based on predefined parameters and identified the baseline operational paradigm (pre-COVID) for construction educators and programs across the US. The study determined the changes after the transition and investigated the impacts of the transition on faculty proficiency with online teaching, existing technological infrastructure, and communication with students. The study identified a moderate relationship between the University’s level of support and educators’ experiences in developing and delivering online materials during the transition. A moderate relationship was also identified between proficiency with online content delivery and total teaching experience. Finally, only a few respondents felt construction education could be delivered entirely online, based on their experiences. [ FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 impacts, opportunities and challenges for wildlife farms in Binh Duong and Ba Ria Vung Tau, Vietnam.

The wildlife trade is a major cause of species loss and can trigger disease transmission. While the COVID-19 pandemic sparked public interest in eliminating the wildlife trade, a better understanding is needed of the economic repercussions of COVID-19 on those who rely on wildlife farming for their livelihoods. Using the case studies of Ba Ria Vung Tau and Binh Duong provinces in Vietnam - a country seen as Asia's wildlife trade hotspot - this paper explores COVID-19's impacts on wildlife farms and their owners. Understanding these impacts is important, both in order to design appropriate interventions to support local people in mitigating COVID-19's impacts as well as to inform effective policymaking around wildlife conservation in Vietnam. In this study, we adopted mixed research methods (including a literature and policy review, stakeholder consultation with government agencies and NGOs engaged in designing and monitoring wildlife conservation policies, a wildlife farming household survey, and research validation workshop) to understand the status of Vietnamese wildlife farms, as well as the impacts of COVID-19, and any opportunities and challenges for wildlife conservation and management in Vietnam. Our paper shows that, across the two studied provinces, numbers of wildlife farms and farmed wildlife animals have both declined since the pandemic, with declining market demand and wildlife farm owners experiencing difficulties accessing markets due to travel restrictions. Although this affected wildlife-related income, this represented less than 30 % of families' overall income on average, and thus households were able to maintain their livelihoods through other sources. Most wildlife is raised as an additional food source for farming families and plays an important role in the diets of surveyed households. Findings also highlighted that most surveyed households' post-pandemic recovery strategies involved expanding their wildlife farms in scope and scale; these households perceived a stable domestic market and high prices for wildlife products in future. Our study found several opportunities for sustainable wildlife farming practices, including greater political commitment, an increasing number of wildlife conservation policies, and stronger law enforcement mechanisms. Challenges remain, however; including an unclear and inconsistent policy framework, the presence of an illegal market, and wildlife farm owners' limited knowledge and understanding of wildlife policies. Our paper also shows a lack of comprehensive data and understanding around actual wildlife transactions during the pandemic, leading to challenges in confirming whether COVID-19 had any real impact on wildlife trade. Further research is required to address this knowledge gap.

Changes in aerosol loading before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in China: Effects of anthropogenic and natural aerosol.

Anthropogenic emissions reduced sharply in the short-term during the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). As COVID-19 is still ongoing, changes in atmospheric aerosol loading over China and the factors of their variations remain unclear. In this study, we used multi-source satellite observations and reanalysis datasets to synergistically analyze the spring (February-May) evolution of aerosol optical depth (AOD) for multiple aerosol types over Eastern China (EC) before, during and after the COVID-19 lockdown period. Regional meteorological effects and the radiative response were also quantitatively assessed. Compared to the same period before COVID-19 (i.e., in 2019), a total decrease of -14.6 % in tropospheric TROPOMI nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and a decrease of -6.8 % in MODIS AOD were observed over EC during the lockdown period (i.e., in 2020). After the lockdown period (i.e., in 2021), anthropogenic emissions returned to previous levels and there was a slight increase (+2.3 %) in AOD over EC. Moreover, changes in aerosol loading have spatial differences. AOD decreased significantly in the North China Plain (-14.0 %, NCP) and Yangtze River Delta (-9.4 %) regions, where anthropogenic aerosol dominated the aerosol loading. Impacted by strong wildfires in Southeast Asia during the lockdown period, carbonaceous AOD increased by +9.1 % in South China, which partially offset the emission reductions. Extreme dust storms swept through the northern region in the period after COVID-19, with an increase of +23.5 % in NCP and + 42.9 % in Northeast China (NEC) for dust AOD. However, unfavorable meteorological conditions overwhelmed the benefits of emission reductions, resulting in a +20.1 % increase in AOD in NEC during the lockdown period. Furthermore, the downward shortwave radiative flux showed a positive anomaly due to the reduced aerosol loading in the atmosphere during the lockdown period. This study highlights that we can benefit from short-term controls for the improvement of air pollution, but we also need to seriously considered the cross-regional transport of natural aerosol and meteorological drivers.

(Micro)plastics in aquatic systems: Current research focal areas, under-studied matrices, and future directions

(Micro)plastics is a broad term referring to all forms of plastic pollution including plastic wastes, (micro)plastics and nanoplastics. (Micro)plastics in aquatic systems have received considerable research attention, and several reviews exist on the topic. However, limited reviews exist documenting the currently most studied aspects, understudied aquatic matrices, and future research needs. In addition, a summary of the data needs in low-income countries is still lacking. To address these knowledge gaps, the present study examined evidence to investigate the current research and information needs on (micro)plastics in aquatic environments. The chapter first presents a summary of the current research, including reviews on (micro)plastics in aquatic systems to identify the most studied aspects. A close examination of the evidence is then conducted to identify under-studied aquatic matrices, and aspect on (micro)plastics. Current evidence and research needs in low-income countries are discussed. Research constraints in low-income regions and proposals to address them are discussed. Finally, future research directions, comprising ten (10) key knowledge gaps are proposed. These knowledge gaps should constitute and drive the global research agenda on (micro)plastics in aquatic systems. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Festive Cities: The Evolution and Adaptation of the Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg Schulbasar

Within a burgeoning international festival scholarship South Africa emerges as a major ‘growth pole’ in the literature. It is in this context of vibrant international and local debates that the article offers a modest contribution on a little researched aspect of festival development in South Africa. The focus is upon festive cities and the evolution, management and organizational adaptation of one distinctive cultural festival which is a celebration of German culture in South Africa. The case study is of the evolution and change of the Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg Schulbasar. Within the literature on festival tourism the case study is distinctive because of its history which dates back to 1905 as well as the fact that the institutional organisation of this festival is undertaken by the school as a major fundraising initiative. The organisation of this festival linked to school management which undertook a number of adaptations to how the festival was organised whilst constantly seeking to retain its central objectives of highlighting German traditions. Arguably, the greatest challenge in the over 100 years of the Schulbasar’s existence has been the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which changed the festival from a physical event to a virtual event part of which involved a charity fundraising drive. © 2022 AJHTL /Author(s) ;Open Access – Online @ www.ajhtl.com

COVID-19 Impacts on Architecture Educators in India- A review of gender perceptions

The majority of the academic institutions across the globe transitioned education delivery to alternate methods, irrespective of specializations, in response to the pandemic. However, very little is explored regarding how architecture educators perceive the Online Learning Environment (OLE) transition impacts based on gender differences. The need for such a study emerges as the literature indicates that women are more impacted than males during natural disasters, which might include a pandemic. The unit of analysis for the study was architecture educators in India. India was purposely selected as it is one of the top three countries globally from the perspective of enrolled university students. The study explored the impacts of the OLE transition among architecture educators as per gender in India. An online survey method was used to allow adequate data collection during a pandemic. The developed online instrument was hosted on Qualtrics. The developed online instrument was pilot tested by education experts in India. The instrument was emailed to the deans of more than 450 architecture colleges in India for dissemination among the educators affiliated with the institutions. In addition, the research team used interpersonal channels such as Whatsapp for instrument distribution. Two follow-up emails were sent to increase the response rate. The survey instrument was disseminated in March and April 2021, one year after the pandemic had impacted globally, also the timeframe when the pandemic started to severely impact India. The study used 165 complete responses from architecture educators. Approximately 59% of the respondents identified themselves as females. Further, most of the respondents had a Master's degree as a terminal degree. The study identified perception differences of COVID-19 impact on architecture educators. The study found that female educators had less experience with OLE and were less aware of the resources available at the University and institute levels before the impact of COVID-19. At the same time, a higher number of male educators indicated a negative productivity impact than their female counterparts. Finally, agreement among genders could be observed in the areas of administration monitoring online teaching, factors impacting the productivity of the architecture educators, and concerns about working from home. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.

Impacts of COVID-19 on the construction sector in the least developed countries

Purpose: Global construction has been affected by COVID-19 unprecedently. The construction sectors in the least developed countries are considered as vulnerable, but the covid made the countries experience the worst situation ever. To minimize the losses by effective measures, there needs to assess the COVID-19 impacts on the construction sector. So, the aim of this study is to investigate the most critical impacts of COVID-19 on construction in the least developed countries by considering the case study of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach: The authors adopted multistep research methods, including (1) literature analysis and discussion with experts to establish a comprehensive list of COVID-19 impacts;(2) through a questionnaire survey, data were collected from 217 construction professionals by email, Google Form and Skype for quantifying the significance of covid impacts;(3) reliability of the survey checked by the Cronbach Alpha test;(4) Relative Importance Index (RII) to determine the ranks of the impacts based on their significance;(5) Interpretive Structural Model (ISM) to explore the corelations and the hierarchical structure;and (6) cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis to classify the COVID-19 impacts. Findings: The study identified a total of 18 COVID-19 impacts on the construction sector. Among them, the job cuts, schedule delays, project suspension, cost overrun and effects on mental health are more influential and significant than others. Further, this study found that unpaid leave and job cuts are the two most fundamental impacts which influence other succeeding significant impacts. And ultimately all the impacts lead to hampering the national economy and development. Finally, MICMAC analysis suggested that unpaid leave and job cuts should be addressed first to resolve and effects on the national economy and development should be later. Research limitations/implications: This study does not consider all the COVID-19 impacts due to the relevant context and simplicity of the ISM method. Also, the respondent's attitude might be slightly different during the post-mass vaccination period. Practical implications: This study will help the company's management, employees and government to develop effective strategies to understand the insight of their interrelations and ultimately overcome the identified covid effects. This will must contribute to the industry, its employees, the government and society by ensuring the national economy and development, construction operations, investment, employment and social security. Originality/value: This study will contribute to the knowledge body (practitioners and researchers) by providing the list of significant covid impacts and insight into their interrelations for further deep analysis of the pandemic effects. This will also help the authorities and stakeholders in developing policies and strategies to minimize or avoid these effects and avoid future consequences due to any pandemic like covid. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.