Responses to and Impact of Lockdown Measures on Covid-19 among Self-Employees in the Informal Sector in Ibadan, Nigeria

In March 2020, the Oyo state government of Nigeria introduced lockdowns measures including stay-at-home orders, closure of markets and schools, and curfew to control further spread of Covid-19 in the state. Although all citizens are affected by the lockdown measures, those working in the informal sector of the economy, who own small businesses and earn daily income, are more vulnerable to the impact of these measures. The knowledge that operators in this sector have on Covid-19, their compliance, responses, and the impact of these measures on the social and economic lives of these individuals is not known. This study will provide answers to four research questions: (1) What do the operators in the informal sector know about Covid-19 and what are their sources of information about the virus? (2) How have these persons complied with Covid-19-related lockdown measures imposed by the government? (3) In what ways have they responded to the lockdown measures? (4) What are the reported social and economic effects of lockdown measures on the lives of these persons? The expected results are insights into citizens' knowledge-compliance gaps on Covid-19, which may be used to tweak existing public enlightenment strategies to make them more responsive to the needs of this population. Data from this research will also provide useful information on the effects of lockdown measures among operators in the informal sector that will improve pandemic preparedness in this population in the future.