Dear Colleagues,

Every pandemic includes behavioral changes to cope with it. With the COVID-19 pandemic, physical distancing measures, mask-wearing, and the intensification of hand washing have been imposed on us. These three rules have severely restricted our ability to socialize as we normally would, in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. In addition, in this context, policy makers have had to enforce different legal rules, taking into account the severity of the health emergency, in order to make the social and economic environment as sustainable as possible. This has included total and partial confinements, curfews at certain night hours, restrictions around the number of people at family gatherings and in places of leisure, suspension of mass events, etc. At the same time, measures have also been taken to protect the most vulnerable, such as those close to the poverty level, those without social support, and immigrant families with highly variable incomes, among many others. This context represents a great complexity given that options are sought to replace social structures, and people are by definition social entities, with our relationship structures in the workplace and our personal lives, and our attributive characteristics that are also important in these social structures. For this reason, it seems of interest that researchers contribute with their knowledge of social structures at a time that will generate a turning point in our behaviors, and where, more than ever, the analysis of social networks has gained maximum relevance.

This Special Issue is framed around the COVID-19 pandemic and the sustainable approach of the investigations. Researchers can provide scientific contributions on topics such as loneliness, social support, innovative technology-based initiatives, community initiatives, educational interventions, descriptions of the spread of the pandemic, network dynamics, analyses on vulnerable populations, etc.

Dr. Elena Andina-Díaz
Dr. Natalia Arias Ramos
Dr. Lindsay Welch
Guest Editors

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• social networks
• health
• pandemic
• COVID-19
• sustainability