Abstract:
The global COVID-19 epidemic had an impact on every social, political, economic, and
cultural area. It wasn't only a healthcare catastrophe; its ramifications were multifaceted. In
Sri Lanka, urban watta (slum) inhabitants were also included. The COVID-19 pandemic has
had a significant impact. They are a marginalized community. When it came to following
new healthcare procedures, there were a few issues. The selected research problem was "how urban slum / watta people were marginalized while crystallizing their social exclusion during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka" this research. The major goal of this study was to
determine the elements that contributed to urban watta dwellers' social marginalization and
isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. This study used a Case Study
research design and was conducted as qualitative research. The research region was
Matiwatta Slum in Angulana South Grama Niladhari Division, and data was obtained using
the snowball sampling method and Purposive sampling method. For the primary data
collection, twenty respondents were recruited, and in-depth interviews were done. The
thematic analysis method was used to analyze the data. Even before the COVID-19 lockdown
phase, urban watta inhabitants were a marginalized community, according to the research
findings. New lockdown experiences, encountered social, economic, and cultural issues, the
role of non-slum dwellers and political agencies, issues of adhering to new healthcare
practices, and reshaping social identity were some of the identified influential factors that
determined the social exclusion and marginalization of urban watta dwellers during the
lockdown period. In conclusion, these causes contributed to the worsening of social exclusion
and marginalization, and as a result, watta residents' marginalization and social exclusion
crystallized during the COVID-19 period, as a marginalized community.
