News & Analysis: Policy responses
“Change can be daunting, but it is far less scary than the alternative. Radical changes in government policy, in business behaviour and in our personal choices over the past 18 months demonstrate that previously unthinkable actions can be undertaken.”
“Rwanda’s Health Ministry said Monday that it has started a third phase of mass COVID-19 vaccinations using the Pfizer vaccine targeting adults 18 years and over in the capital Kigali. The ministry expects to reach over 90% of eligible people over a two-week operation at multiple vaccination sites across the districts of Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge before extending the vaccinations to other secondary cities.”
“In some countries, lockdowns can produce net increases in mortality. The optimal lockdowns are shorter and milder in poorer countries than in rich ones and never produce a net mortality increase.”
“The main finding from our research is that governments are falling short of managing their fiscal policy response to the crisis in a transparent and accountable manner. More than two thirds of the governments we looked at, across many regions and income levels, have only provided limited or minimal levels of accountability in the introduction and implementation of their early fiscal policy responses.”
“Despite being created to manage travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, the African Union’s COVID-19 passport can set in place a mechanism for controlling future pandemics and disease outbreaks in the continent.”
“Rwanda on Tuesday announced tighter coronavirus lockdowns in 50 administrative areas as new cases surge. The measures were designed to keep people mostly at home in areas with the highest infection rates based on a health assessment, said local government minister Jean Marie Vianne Gatabazi.”
“The lessons from India’s experience are especially relevant to other developing countries, like those in Africa, that will not benefit from the shield of mass vaccination in the near term. The overarching lesson is that COVID-19 is a ‘complacency virus’; its surveillance and suppression must be continually adapted.”
“In prioritising public health, governments have drawn on emergency legislation to implement lockdown regulations. These measures narrow the gap between authoritarianism and democracy and can be used as a pretext for authoritarian regimes to hold on to power.”
“‘The surge in cases has necessitated a lockdown in the city of Kigali and other 8 districts,’ read a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. ‘Citizens are urged to significantly reduce social interactions, and limit movements to only essential services.'”
“Second lockdown is poised to throw the economy, especially small-scale further into uncertainty.”
A hub for information, analysis, and the global response to COVID-19’s impact on Africa