大象传媒

Many Africans are struggling under lockdown, with little or no access to food or supplies. Some observers are questioning whether full lockdown is appropriate in situations where the people can鈥檛 be supplied with relief as in developed countries. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist and health economist at the University of Toronto, is optimistic other methods such as contact tracing could combine with enhanced testing to help people emerge, while Sir Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, thinks targeted financial support could keep people slipping over the edge into poverty. Trevor Simumba, former economic adviser to the Zambian government, is less optimistic. He thinks many more people will die in Africa from the economic impact than the virus itself.

(Picture: A man shuttering his shop under curfew in Kibera, Nairobi. Picture credit: Getty Images.)