Introduction:

At the beginning of the pandemic, governments implemented non-pharmacological measures to mitigate and suppress the spread of the virus in the absence of vaccines and effective pharmacological treatments. The Colombian government undertook actions to control the spread of COVID-19. These affected the population; therefore, the country requires a thorough evaluation of the social response to the pandemic.

Objective:

To analyze the social response to non-pharmacological measures to control the spread of COVID-19 in Colombia.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional descriptive exploratory study. The total number of people who responded to the survey was 3549 adults, between April 8 and 20, 2020.

Results:

There are three groups of people in the country who are responding to the pandemic in different ways: those who resist (34%), those who suffer (26%) and those who accept it (40%). Overall, 90% of people took at least one measure to protect themselves and others, 68% took more than three hygiene and self-care measures, 60% implemented more than three physical distancing measures.

Conclusions:

At the beginning of the pandemic, in the absence of a vaccine, individual actions are as important as measures implemented by the government. However, community-level education and access to correct, clear and concise information contributed to positive behavioral changes in hygiene, self-care and adherence to distancing measures, all of which are crucial to stop the spread of COVID-19.