«We were stuck» - Managing the COVID-19 pandemic in African countries
During the lockdown, doctoral candidate at the ISTP, Antoinette van der Merwe, was stuck in South Africa. While she was there, she started a new research project to find out how poor families are coping with the current corona crisis. In her interview, Antoinette describes her own experience and provides us with insights into the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on poor urban neighbourhoods. (Re-post from ETH Zurich Services & resources News)
The research project focuses on analyzing how the urban poor are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. Within this context, phone surveys in poor areas in two African cities, Accra, Ghana and Johannesburg, South Africa, were conducted. To curb the spread of COVID-19, both Ghana and South Africa implemented several measures to reduce contact between people, including closing schools and banning large gatherings. Thereafter, the respective governments chose different approaches. South Africa implemented a strict and lengthy nation-wide lockdown, while Ghana opted for a shorter lockdown around the most affected cities only, which was lifted three weeks later due to fears about worsening economic situations. Although daily case numbers are still rising in both countries, also South Africa started to relax many regulations recently.
The research team includes ISTP's external page Antoinette van der Merwe and Isabel Günther, as well as PhD student at ETH NADEL Kathrin Durizzo.
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- For the original article by Nicole Davidson, please visit the ETH Zurich Services & resources webpage.
- For further information on the overall project, please visit the Development Economics Group webpage.