Panel 5: The Impact of Covid Restrictions on Low – and Middle-Income Countries
The conversation focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural and urban areas in Rwanda. Speakers discussed the strict restrictions in Kigali that may have prevented the virus from spreading, as well as the challenges faced by rural migrants returning to urban areas. They also highlighted the government’s lack of response to food insecurity in rural areas, which undermined the social contract between citizens and the government. Additionally, speakers discussed the dual types of community sense of belonging experienced by low-income migrant workers, including care responsibilities and survival management. The pandemic has shifted the nature of care work, affecting women’s ability to work and contribute to household responsibilities. This conference is the first anywhere in the world to consider collectively the impacts of Covid suppression measures in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. The conference brings together scholars from the health and social sciences who have been working on questions regarding education, gender, socioeconomic impacts and political economies related to the Covid response. While there has been much focus on these questions in High Income Countries, there has yet to be a sustained and inter-regional discussion from Low- and Middle-Income Countries. This conference addresses this disparity.
Watch more from the conference here.
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