SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and population affected by ining: n overlay of sufferingAbstract
Qualitative research was developed with the aim of understanding the psychosocial repercussions of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the population affected by the collapse of the Fundão Dam in Mariana (MG), in 2015, belonging to the Samarco mining company and its maintainers VALE and BHP Billiton. Participant observation techniques and focus groups were used. The narratives of health professionals and affected people were analyzed through Content Analysis, from the sociocultural, symbolic and political factors found in this context of overlapping mining disaster and pandemic. The results show that the experience of those affected during the pandemic presents singularities such as the intensification of the rupture of social and community ties that had already been identified since the disaster. Grief during the pandemic is also enhanced by the collective grief already experienced since the tragedy. There is an intensification of suffering due to the lack of information and the postponement of the resettlement delivery. It is possible to identify the pandemic as another point of suffering for this vulnerable population.
Keywords: Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Disasters; Mental Health; Psychosocial Impact