Identifying factors associated with the issuance of coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders in the Middle East and North Africa Region.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has not spared the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. MENA is one of the most politically, socially, and economically heterogeneous regions in the world, a characteristic reflected in its governments' responses to COVID-19. About two-thirds of these governments issued coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders (SAHOs), one of the most effective tools public health officials have for slowing the spread of infectious diseases. While SAHOs are very effective in terms of countering infectious diseases, they are extremely disruptive in nonhealth domains. The objective of this study is to identify reliable factors related to health care policy making that shaped the decisions of MENA governments to issue a SAHO or not in response to COVID-19. The results identify specific political, social, and medical factors that played important roles and provide a look at early government responses to a global health crisis in a heterogeneous region of the world.