Assessment of mask-wearing adherence and social distancing compliance in public places in Hamadan, Iran, during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The determination of the rate of social distancing compliance and mask-wearing adherence is essential to address the health aspects of COVID-19. The present study aimed to estimate the adherence to mask-wearing and maintaining the social distancing in public places in Hamadan, western Iran, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study design: The present study was conducted based on a c ross-sectional design. Methods: The current study included 72 images from 12 areas in Hamadan as clusters in January 2021. The images were extracted from the traffic control center of Hamadan Municipality. The mean of social distancing and percentage of mask-wearing in all clusters were obtained based on cluster sampling. Results: In this research, the majority of people(68%) of people in public places were men and 32% women. The mean±SD of social distancing in all public places in Hamadan was obtained at 65.27 ±73.37 cm (95% CI: 38.48-92.08). The percentage of men who wore masks correctly was higher than that of women (57% vs. 51%). Moreover, mask-wearing adherence was not recognizable in about 34% of people in the images (28% of men versus 48% of women). Among the people whose images were recognizable, all the women were wearing masks, while about 13% of men were not (P<0.05). Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, the mean social distance in Hamadan was much lower than the standard value (1.5-2 meters) even at the time of restrictions. Although more than half of people wore masks in public places, it was much less than that in developed countries. Therefore, people should pay more attention to health advice regarding mask-wearing and maintaining social distance.