The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on economic situations among households in Makindye division, Kampala district
Abstract
The study purpose aimed at examining how Covid-19 lockdown greatly impacted on economic situations among households in Makindye division, Kampala district. The study adopted a quantitative study design which was correlation in nature with a population of 60 households. Simple random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 52 household respondents from the population. Data was collected from respondents using self-administered standard questionnaire and entered in the computer for analysis through Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 23. Descriptive statistics showed that (73.1%) of the respondents were female and (26.9%) were male, majority were between 18-45 years (67.3%). Results from Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) further indicated that there was a positive relationship between COVID-19 lockdown and poverty (r= .675**, p=.003), as well as COVID-19 lockdown and unemployment (r= .363**, p=.000), however there was a significant negative relationship between COVID-19 lockdown and working conditions (r= -.244**, p=.001). Therefore, the present study provides a basis and implications for further investigation on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on economic situations in different parts of Kampala. It was recommended that the the local authorities in Makindye division, should formulate policies that encourage people to become self-employed through savings in order to prepare for future uncertainties. Government needs to educate and sensitize employers on the benefits of ensuring that employees working conditions can still be maintained despite the outbreak of pandemics like COVID-19. The government should set policies that private organizations have to follow and promote better working conditions during economic hardships.