Living in Bubbles During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Insights From New Zealand

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aut.embargofalseen_NZ
aut.publication.placeLondon, United Kingdomen_NZ
aut.researcherHolroyd, Eleanor
dc.contributor.authorLong, NJen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorAikman, PJen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorAppleton, NSen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorDavies, SGen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorDeckert, Aen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorHolroyd, Een_NZ
dc.contributor.authorJivraj, Nen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorLaws, Men_NZ
dc.contributor.authorSimpson, Nen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorSterling, Ren_NZ
dc.contributor.authorTrnka, Sen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorTunafa’i, Len_NZ
dc.date.accessioned2020-05-18T00:46:36Z
dc.date.available2020-05-18T00:46:36Z
dc.date.copyright2020-05-15en_NZ
dc.date.issued2020-05-15en_NZ
dc.description.abstractThis report presents initial research findings on the ‘social bubbles’ policy that the New Zealand government adopted as part of its strategy for curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The concept of ‘the bubble’ proved effective at conveying the necessity of exclusive containment, while foregrounding the importance of mutual care and support that might stretch beyond a single household or home. It allowed New Zealanders who were isolated, vulnerable, or struggling to receive the care and support they needed. This success partly resulted from the strong emphasis placed on ‘being kind’ within the New Zealand government’s public narrative of the lockdown. Bubbles were expanded when it would keep people ‘safe and well’. There was high compliance with the mandate to keep bubbles exclusive, and the concept of exclusivity within an expanded bubble was generally – if not always – well understood. Adaptation to ‘the bubble’ as a new social form was not always straightforward, however, and bubble relationships could be strained by divergent risk perceptions, or differing interpretations of ambiguous guidelines. Moreover, some groups systematically found it harder to enjoy the full benefits of living in a bubble: people living in flatshare arrangements, co-parents living apart, recently arrived migrants and people who were active in the workplace. Once infection rates are sufficiently low and appropriate contact tracing infrastructures are in place, a social bubbles policy could be very effective in other countries, especially if concrete steps are taken to pre-empt some of the difficulties and inequalities that were evident in New Zealand.
dc.description.sponsorshipLondon School of Economics and Political Scienceen_NZ
dc.identifier.citationLSE Research Online. Retrieved from: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/104421/
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10292/13334
dc.publisherLondon School of Economics (LSE)
dc.relation.urihttp://eprints.lse.ac.uk/104421/
dc.rights© 2020 The Authors. Items deposited in LSE Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the LSE Research Online record for the item.
dc.rights.accessrightsOpenAccessen_NZ
dc.titleLiving in Bubbles During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Insights From New Zealanden_NZ
dc.typeCommissioned Report
pubs.elements-id375180
pubs.organisational-data/AUT
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Health & Environmental Science
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Health & Environmental Science/Clinical Sciences
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Health & Environmental Science/Nursing
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF/PBRF Health and Environmental Sciences
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF/PBRF Health and Environmental Sciences/HH Clinical Sciences 2018 PBRF
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