Metaphoric Perceptions of Individuals for the Concepts of "Coronavirus" and "Staying at Home"

Abstract

We have been observing various preventive measures implemented to contain the COVID19 pandemic in the world since the new Coronavirus outbreak. Self-isolation, staying at home and keeping away from social gatherings and mobilities are some examples. We argue how people perceive the virus and the preventive measures are important to understand their response to the pandemic. So, we studied the metaphoric perceptions of individuals regarding the Coronavirus itself and the preventive measures. The given data of a sample of 318 individuals was categorized regarding the concepts of "coronavirus" and "stay at home". Both concepts had one common category, namely "precautionary". One prominent result is that most of the participants think that the virus has some positive and "Instructive" aspects, a warning that one must pay attention. Another important result is that staying at home is perceived as "restricting the leisure time", causing a restriction in the physical activity.