The impact of Covid-19 on social life in a traditional Maltese town

Abstract

This dissertation is concerned with looking at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on social life within the parish community of Saint Sebastian in Ħal Qormi. The issue was addressed through the perspective of community-based organisations which are active in the area, and associate themselves in some way or another with the parish. This study looks at the different meanings of community while addressing the complexity and fluidity of the term. The notion of community is then contextualised within a Maltese context, specifically within the context of the parish community of Saint Sebastian in Qormi, which in itself encompasses a number of micro-communities. These micro-communities serve to foster the creation of social bonds among community members, thus, playing a role in the generation of social capital which greatly impacts the quality of life of individuals within communities. The research question was addressed by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with leaders from community-based organisations active in the area. I also carried out participant observation in different settings. The findings of the study suggest that the fact that in-person meetings could not take place hindered the work of community-based organisations. In addition to this, the pandemic seemed to amplify already existing struggles, such as financial challenges and the need to find volunteers. Despite this, community-based organisations manged to pull through and are as eager as ever to get back on track to doing things as they were done prior to the pandemic.