Fear of COVID-19 during confinement in Mauritius: a survey-based study

Background: Fear has been a common response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic throughout the world. In Mauritius, the outbreak of COVID-19 has been an exceptional occurrence requiring stringent confinement of the population. In this study we have explored people's reactions to COVID-19 during confinement, with emphasis on fear and the impact of news on the level of fear. Methods: An anonymized online survey was carried out during confinement. Participation was voluntary. Participants reported fear level on a scale from 1 to 10, where no fear scored 1 and maximum fear scored 10. Participants reported the impact of news on their fear level on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 represented no impact and 10 represented maximum impact. Participants reported the status of their information about COVID-19 on a scale of 1 to 10. Results: The self-rated level of fear during confinement had a mean of 5.09 with 95%CI [4.70, 5.47]. This increased to a mean of 6.39 with 95%CI [6.00-6.78] at the prospect of confinement being lifted. The difference was statistically significant (paired-sample T-test, p<0.05). With regard to the impact of news on fear of COVID-19, the mean for local news was 5.97 with 95%CI [5.59, 6.34] whereas that of worldwide news was 6.86 with 95%CI [6.50, 7.23]. Worldwide news had a more significant impact (paired-sample T-test, p