On 18th March 2020, the President of Uganda announced the first total national lockdown which included the international border closures; the closing of schools, private offices and banned public gatherings at places of worships/social events, initially for a period of 32 days. Efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, effectively closed off most sources of income for the majority of low-income earners, who were forced to stay at home.
Low-income earners are particularly vulnerable to mental health, consequence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown restrictions, due to a temporary or permanent loss of income and livelihood, coupled with government-enforced measures of social distancing. This study evaluates the mental health status among low-income earners in southwestern Uganda during the first total COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda.
