Abstract
In this chapter, the authors describe the essential need of mental health and psychosocial support for people accommodated in mandatory quarantine and isolation facilities during the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia through a multi-sectoral response. Namibia recorded its first two index cases on 13 March 2020 when a married couple arrived in the Windhoek district in Namibia from Madrid, Spain on 11 March 2020. Namibia has since March 2020 provided supervised quarantine services to 12,128 persons in facilities around the country. The Ministry of Health and Social Services provides mental health and psychosocial support services, which were critical in the short and long-term response to COVID-19 pandemic. Public health measures were developed in line with WHO guidelines to contain the virus. These measures include the need of setting up quarantine and isolation facilities. Recommendations for future research in strengthening mental health and psychosocial support services and coping strategies are provided in the chapter.
TopIntroduction
In the light of the worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, His Excellency, Dr. Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia demonstrated strong leadership in declaring a State of Emergency in terms of Sub-Article (5) of Article (26) of the Namibian Constitution of 1990. In the Namibian Government’s containment efforts to curb the transmission and spread of COVID-19, special measures under the State of Emergency have been put in place through phase Lockdown measures. One of the measures under the State of Emergency was the Stage 1 Lockdown of 21 days (from 27 March – 17 April 2020), which was applicable to the Khomas- and Erongo regions, inclusive of the Okahandja and Rehoboth Municipality areas. This lockdown was extended with fourteen (14) days from 18 April until 04 May 2020. The 3rd Stage of Lockdown was effective from the 1st of June 2020 until 29 June 2020. The 4th Stage of Lockdown has been effective from 29th June until 17th September 2020, which will also terminates the six months of State of Emergency declared. With reference to the afore-mentioned, further directives were given by the President of the Republic of Namibia to provide mandatory quarantine and isolation facilities for returning Namibian citizens and permanent residents for a period of fourteen (14) days of supervised quarantine. Furthermore, directives were issued by the President of the Republic of Namibia to provide alternative accommodation to persons without shelter for a period of at least three (3) months, effective from April to June 2020.
In response to the afore-mentioned Lockdown measures, the Government of the Republic of Namibia activated a National Health Emergency Coordination Committee on COVID-19 under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Social Services. In addition, an Incident Management System was established to strengthen the operationalization of the National Public Health Emergency Operation Center (NPHEOC), which become the central hub from where all COVID-19 responders operated. In prioritizing the health of all Namibians amid COVID-19, a multi-sectoral response team was established, which comprised of government sectors, development partners, higher education institutions, private sector, faith-based organizations and civil society organizations. All these multi-sectoral partners collaborated efforts in the development of a Multi-Sectoral National Response Plan for COVID-19 in Namibia.
In accordance with the WHO Guidelines (2020), informed by the country context, a customized Multi-Sectoral National Response Plan for COVID-19 in Namibia comprised of nine technical pillars namely:
- 1.
Country Coordination, Planning and Monitoring
- 2.
Risk Communication and Community Engagement
- 3.
Surveillance & Contact Tracing
- 4.
Points of Entry
- 5.
Laboratory Coordination
- 6.
Case Management
- 7.
Infection Prevention and Control
- 8.
Operations and Logistics
- 9.
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
This chapter only focuses on the provision of mental health and psychosocial support services under Pillar 9 on the Multi-Sectoral National Response Plan for COVID-19. The core functions of this pillar include providing psychosocial support and counselling services to all people in mandatory quarantine and isolation facilities, arrange temporary shelter for persons and children on the streets without shelter as well as, to mobilize corporate sponsorships and church donations such as food, shelter, water, sanitation and other basic necessities (WHO Namibia, 2020). The chapter provides solutions and recommendations as well as future research directions.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Loneliness: An unpleasant emotional response to perceived isolation that causes a person/s to feel empty, alone and unwanted due to lack of connection with other people.
Psychosocial Support: Psychosocial support is a process of facilitating resilience within individual, families, and communities by respecting the independence, dignity and coping mechanisms of individuals and communities. It promotes restoration of social cohesion and infrastructure.
Counseling: A process in which two people meet to explore personal problems and to identify solutions through meaningful discussions and well-informed choices.
Isolation Facility: The public health practice of separating sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick.
Contact Tracing: The process of identifying, assessing, and managing people who might have come in contact and been exposed to a virus in order to prevent transmission.
Quarantine Facility: The public health practice of separating and limiting the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick during a given period.
Confirmed Case: A person/s who tested positive that is confirmed by one or more of the laboratory methods listed in the case definition.
Recovery: A person who was infected with the virus and has survived a virus with no long-term health effects. This simply means that one's immune system has found and destroyed the virus in the body.
COVID-19: An infectious disease caused by coronavirus. It is the acronym for the full name coronavirus of 2019. It means “the coronavirus disease of 2019, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2) (WHO, 2020).
Stigma: This involves negative attitudes and beliefs toward someone or group of people based on their health status which lead to prejudice and discrimination. For example, some people who tested positive with Covid-19 were stigmatized and discriminated against as people perceived to spread the virus.