Key Points

Adoption of protective measures and behaviors

• A decline in adherence to physical distancing recommendations and an increase in risky social behaviors from the lifting of the first lockdown (mid-May) through mid-July 2020;

• A gradual increase in mask-wearing in public since the start of the epidemic, with 82% of respondents reporting compliance with this measure in survey wave 18 (November 2020);

• A relaxation of precautionary behaviors that likely contributed to the resurgence of viral circulation during the summer of 2020, its acceleration in September with the resumption of school and work activities, and led to the onset of the second wave of the pandemic;

• A resumption of consistent adherence to distancing measures in September–October 2020, earlier than in other regions;

• Lower adherence to preventive measures was observed among men (hygiene and mask-wearing) and people under the age of 35 (physical distancing).

Mental Health

• A higher prevalence of mental health indicators and sleep problems at the start of each lockdown;

• Regional prevalence rates for reported sleep problems and depressive disorders were high and above the national average in November 2020;

• Those at higher risk of poor mental health are vulnerable individuals (disadvantaged socio-professional groups, people with a history of psychiatric disorders, and those with low incomes).