Africa's fight needs a strategy that ensures localisation of flexible measures, and the mobilisation of an entire society Opinion | DrMehari
Between hunger and corona
The known effective means of flattening the exponential infection curve, social distancing, is proving difficult in Africa and cannot be maintained for a long time due to its destruction on livelihoods. The fact is that poverty is a vector spreader of Covid-19. Extreme poverty not only undermines immunity but also creates crowded living conditions that make physical/social distancing near impossible. Lack of access to water and consequent poor hygiene adds to Africa's vulnerability for the spread of the virus.
Prevention, however, primarily demands social distancing, which is unlikely without stricter community measures than those now in place. Hence flattening the curve will take time and many lives. The mitigation of the adverse impacts of the pandemic on the livelihoods of the poor and local economy need to be another facet of the containment strategy. This may contribute to the maintenance of social stability, including religious practices that may oppose a ban on collective prayers. For the continent to flatten the curve of the Covid-19 spread, Africa has only one option: aggressive prevention.
Proximity and local expertise would help tailor all interventions to its local context. Furthermore, localisation enhances ownership which encourages the initiation of programmes by local entities. But localisation needs to empower local authorities to implement and take ownership of their responsibilities, as well as to mobilise traditional and modern civil society organisations such as faith-based institutions, community leaders, and the private sector.
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