How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the everyday life of university communities in northeast Brazil?

ABSTRACT

The new coronavirus pandemic has been causing devastating effects that are felt differently among the population, as regional, socioeconomic, racial and gender inequalities tend to be intensified in times of crisis. In Brazil, the most precarious regions and their vulnerable social groups feel the impacts caused by the necessary changes to prevent and face the risks produced by the pandemic more intensely. This article seeks to reflect on the main impacts of the pandemic context on the daily lives of members of university communities in the Northeast region of Brazil. The analysis was based on a qualitative and quantitative research, whose data were generated through a digital form answered by members of the nine states that make up the region. The results achieved indicate that the adaptability needs due to the adverse situations presented by the pandemic encounter unequal conditions of adhesion between the different members of the university communities, reflecting on the development of tensions and anxieties in a scenario of uncertainties regarding the possibilities of survival, as well as the challenges that these adversities pose for higher education institutions.