{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,31]],"date-time":"2024-12-31T19:10:16Z","timestamp":1735672216728,"version":"3.32.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,31]],"date-time":"2024-12-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1735603200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Arba Minch University (AMU) Research Core Process"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Globally, as of March 2024, the number of confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths were over 774 million and seven million, respectively. Since there are no proven treatment in place against the disease, controlling strategy mainly rely on preventive measures. However, data on the extent of implementing physical distancing and other preventive measures during the pandemic of COVID-19 were inadequate in the study setting. This study is, therefore, documenting these gaps among people in Arba Minch town, South Ethiopia.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>We conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey and qualitative study at Arba Minch in June 2020. Quantitative data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and check-list from study participants (head of household or any adult \u226518 years old in a household) and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Qualitative data were collected using key informant interviews (KIIs) and analyzed by using a thematic approach.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Of the total surveyed adults (459), only 43.6% achieved above the mean score on adherence to implementing preventive measures of COVID-19. We found that 29.8% of participants kept physical distancing, only 37.7% of study participants had face-mask use practice, 20.5% had hand sanitizer use practice, 42.5% of participants avoided attendance in public gatherings, 44.7% stopped touching their nose, eye, and mouth, 55.6% practiced stay at home, and 60% had frequent hand washing practice. Besides, the main emerged barriers of adherence to implementing COVID-19 preventive measures were poverty, distrust of government, misbelief, lack of ownership, lack of attention and sustained actions, lack of ownership, socio-cultural influence, lack of coordination and leadership.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The finding of this study suggests inadequate adherence to implementing COVID-19 preventive measures in adults in Arba Minch. Although inadequately implemented, a lot of lessons have been learned from COVID-19 pandemic preventive measures that would help in prevention and control of such a pantomimic disease happened.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0315204","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,31]],"date-time":"2024-12-31T18:33:37Z","timestamp":1735670017000},"page":"e0315204","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Adherence to implementing physical distancing and other COVID-19 preventive measures and its barriers among adults in Arba Minch town, Southwest Ethiopia: A lesson learned from the pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1719-6321","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Teklu","family":"Wegayehu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tsegaye","family":"Yohannes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chuchu","family":"Churko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alemayehu","family":"Bekele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mekuria Asnakew","family":"Asfaw","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0315204.ref001","article-title":"Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus: The species and its viruses\u2013a statement of the Coronavirus Study Group.","author":"AE Gorbalenya","year":"2020","journal-title":"bioRxiv"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0315204.ref002","article-title":"Coronavirus (COVID-19): a review of clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment.","volume":"12","author":"SA Hassan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"pone.0315204.ref003","article-title":"COVID 19 Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).","author":"World Health Organization.","year":"2020","journal-title":"Global research and innovation forum: towards a research roadmap"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0315204.ref004","first-page":"7","article-title":"Novel Wuhan (2019-nCoV) Coronavirus.","volume":"201","author":"WG Carlos","year":"2020","journal-title":"American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0315204.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1010","DOI":"10.1136\/gutjnl-2020-320953","article-title":"Digestive system is a potential route of COVID-19: an analysis of single-cell coexpression pattern of key proteins in viral entry process","volume":"69","author":"H Zhang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Gut"},{"issue":"13","key":"pone.0315204.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1239","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2020.2648","article-title":"Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.","volume":"323","author":"Z Wu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Jama"},{"issue":"10223","key":"pone.0315204.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"507","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(20)30211-7","article-title":"Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a descriptive study","volume":"395","author":"N Chen","year":"2020","journal-title":"The Lancet"},{"key":"pone.0315204.ref008","article-title":"Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study","author":"F Zhou","year":"2020","journal-title":"The lancet"},{"key":"pone.0315204.ref009","article-title":"Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019).","author":"World Health Organization, World health organization"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0315204.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0008271","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0008271","article-title":"Will COVID-19 become the next neglected tropical disease?","volume":"14","author":"PJ Hotez","year":"2020","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"pone.0315204.ref011","article-title":"First case of COVID-19 confirmed in Ethiopia.","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2020"},{"key":"pone.0315204.ref012","article-title":"Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public.","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2020"},{"key":"pone.0315204.ref013","article-title":"WHO COVID-19 preparedness and response progress report","author":"World Health Organization.","year":"2020"},{"key":"pone.0315204.ref014","article-title":"National comprehensive covid19 management hand book. 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