Abstract:

Coronavirus pandemic has affected the normal work routine of individuals across the globe. Majority of governments have responded to this pandemic by imposing curfews and lockdown to flatten the curve of virus spread. This situation helped to minimize the virus spread but movement restrictions coupled with fear of getting infected may increase mental stress and depression. Therefore, in this paper, we report the results from an empirical study carried out in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The findings suggest that in this lockdown has negatively impacted individuals’ health. The results also suggest that demographic factors contribute to the psychological impact of lockdown resulting in negatively affecting work and personal life of individuals. The findings will help the governments to establish support systems to improve mental health in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in case of similar future conditions.