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Future pandemic responses to restrict new infections need to be better balanced with allowing people to earn a living, say researchers, in a new report on the impacts of Covid-19. Published by the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network (CPAN), based at the Institute of Development Studies, the report details the widespread and long-term impacts of Covid-19 restrictions on the poorest people around the world.
While acknowledging that authorities had to act quickly to save lives at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the research shows that subsequent lockdowns significantly impacted people living in poverty by removing earning opportunities, heightening domestic violence, depriving children of education and school meals, and increasing food insecurity.
Particularly concerning were the lengthy school closures that continued long after economies opened up. For example, in India schools were closed for two years and in Uganda they were closed for 22 months. For the poorest children this is likely to reduce their future chances for getting out of poverty, particularly for those that never returned when the schools reopened.
The Pandemic Poverty report says that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic including death, illness and the economic and social hardships, on top of other crises such as floods or conflict has put many people not only into temporary poverty but into chronic poverty. The researchers say those affected are likely to take the next decade or longer to get out of that chronic poverty, and more people could face poverty in future crises unless appropriate measures are put in place.
The researchers call for responses to future pandemics to achieve a better balance between saving lives and protecting livelihoods and child welfare, especially for the poorest in society.
To promote recovery from pandemic-driven poverty and prepare for future pandemics, the report says that policy responses should include long-term investment in hospital and community-based health services, and stronger social protection measures that can be adapted and expanded in pandemic crisis situations. Social and economic development policies should also be more crisis-proofed, so that they carry on as far as possible without losing progress. Overall, the researchers stress that those living in poverty must be at the heart of policy decisions by governments and the international community for pandemic preparedness and response.
Vidya Diwakar, Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies and Deputy Director of the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network, said:
“Our research has found that those in poverty or near poverty particularly suffered during restrictive measures imposed in response to Covid-19, which often meant that they were unable to feed or educate their children. We must prioritise the poorest people and those living near the poverty line when deciding whether to impose lockdowns, market closures or school closures, and how long for. This prioritisation can help reduce the chances of causing greater poverty and long-term damage to people’s lives.”
Andrew Shepherd, Associate Researcher, Institute of Development Studies and Director of the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network, said:
“There is a critical information gap for decision-makers about people living in or near poverty, leading to policies being introduced without considering the potential damaging impacts on millions of people. In future pandemics elite decision makers must include the experiences and welfare of citizens living in poverty.”
The global study from the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network (CPAN), based at the Institute of Development Studies, was based on interviews with people living in or near poverty and/or decision-makers in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
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