‘Now my life is stuck!’: Experiences of adolescents and young people during COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa

Figures & data

Table A1. Additional participant responses.

If you could write a letter to your previous self before COVID-19, what would you write and why?

Okay, I would prepare myself to stay at home … Then check myself when I interact with a person, distance myself and don’t be close to a person when I am speaking with them. Wash my hands every time I touch something, when I am about to eat and all that … I would prepare myself emotionally and commit to washing my hands regularly, not hold hands with anyone, distance myself when speaking with them, listen and follow the regulations the president mentioned. (22, Male, Eastern Cape) Our lives are all at risk, we need to just stay at home, be in our houses. As soon as you feel anything strange, sore throat or anything you need to run and go to the clinic. Even when you get to the clinic when you are there you will be with people who are sick, you are just putting yourself in a worse situation (21, Female, Eastern Cape) I would think about groceries, buy necessities, things I will need and not just anything so I can save, look at my budget, you see I would do that … . when you have no information, you …  make wrong choices. When you are prepared and have information before you can be safe. (20, Male, Eastern Cape)

Image for a second that you are an advisor for President Ramaphosa. What would you tell him needs to be done?

I would advise the president to make sure that there is testing available in every location, because some people don’t know where to test. They are just confused, if a person gets sick, especially in the local town, they wouldn’t know where to go (19, Female, Western Cape) What I would do, I would give people what they want but they need to protect themselves. I would provide them with the protection they need like the masks (20, Male, Western Cape)  … therefore sanitiser and masks should be handouts … Handouts should happen everywhere … Everywhere he should give people things they need to protect themselves, give as much as possible. In order for them to not be infected by the disease. (21, Female, Eastern Cape)  … you need to have a sanitiser. A lot of people can’t have these, you have mix and mix different stuff (21, Female, Eastern Cape)

Data availability statement

Data are not publicly available due to the ethical necessity of maintaining participant confidentiality.