Lockdowns: Saving lives, but ruining livelihoods in Africa
Published Date: 4/7/2020
Source: news.yahoo.com
In a dark ground-floor room in Lagos, dressmaker Kemi Adepoju gazes at a pile of dresses she has made but which cannot be collected due to the lockdown in force to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Like millions in Africa, Adepoju works in the informal sector, which accounts for more than 85% of employment across the continent and will be largely bypassed by meagre economic support measures that cash-strapped governments are rolling out. The International Monetary Fund said in a blog on the outbreak's impact on Africa last month that "social distancing" was not realistic for the most vulnerable, and the notion of working from home was only possible for the few.