COVID-19 lockdown - The African Mirror

Aug

2022

How COVID-19 lockdown measures — and their outcomes — varied in cities around the world

DURING the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese cities have repeatedly imposed lockdowns following their central government’s stubborn pursuit of Zero-COVID. But lockdowns weren’t limited to authoritarian regimes such as China. Many democracies also imposed some form of lockdowns to curb virus transmission. How effective were they? Was it worth it? And who was the most adversely affected? Authors ROGER KEIL, Professor, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York University, Canada PHILIP HARRISON, Professor School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand XUEFEI REN, Professor, Sociology and Global Urban Studies, Michigan State University These are meaningful questions to reflect on, especially as…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Tunisia announces one-week lockdown

COVID-19

TUNISIA will impose a COVID-19 lockdown for one week from Sunday, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said on Friday, ahead of next week's Eid al-Fitr holiday when families and friends traditionally gather. Speaking at a news conference, Mechichi said measures were being taken in case "the health system will collapse, and this is a real danger". As cases have mounted and intensive care wards filled, Tunisia had already suspended school classes, imposed mandatory quarantine and extended a nightly curfew. Mechichi had previously rejected another lockdown after one that Tunisia imposed last year, saying the country could not afford it. Tunisia's economy…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenyan president lifts COVID-19 lockdown imposed last month

COVID-19

KENYAN President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday lifted the COVID-19 lockdown he imposed last month, allowing for a reopening of bars and restaurants, religious services and schools, as the rate of infections eases in the East African country. Curbs on travel in the capital Nairobi and four surrounding counties would be lifted, schools will be allowed to reopen following an Education Ministry calendar. Religious services will resume with some restrictions, while political gatherings would still be banned, he said in a speech. An evening curfew that currently starts at 8 p.m. will be revised to 10 p.m.. The changes will be in…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Whose mental health suffered the most during COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

HEALTH

THE toll of the coronavirus pandemic on physical health and lives worldwide is enormous. But the disease and the lockdown measures have had an impact on mental health too. DR ABIODUN MUSBAU LAWAL, Lecturer, Department of Psychology , Federal University, Oye Ekiti Some of the mental health issues that have been reported due to COVID-19 include anxiety, depression, anger, confusion, insomnia, post-traumatic disorders, boredom, loneliness and adjustment problems. The phases of COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria spanned between early May 2020 and the end of July 2020. Movement was restricted during this period. Gradually, lockdown was eased but a curfew of…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Zimbabwe eases COVID-19 lockdown

COVID-19

ZIMBABWE yesterday eased a coronavirus lockdown and overnight curfew imposed in January by allowing businesses to fully re-open after the rate of new infections slowed in the last two weeks. The news comes a day after neighbouring country South Africa eased restrictions to allow liquor sales under normal trading time and shortened curfew hours from midnight to 4 a.m., as cases in the country fell after a new coronavirus variant led to widespread infections in December and January. Infections in Zimbabwe peaked in January, forcing the government to close or limit most businesses as well as curb the movement of…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Tunisia bans internal travel to contain pandemic

COVID-19

TUNISIA has banned travel between the country's regions, suspended schools and public gatherings and extended a curfew, as it tried to contain a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases with hospitals nearly full. Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi has said Tunisia cannot afford a second lockdown with the government already fighting the central bank over a projected deficit double what it had originally foreseen. However, after successfully containing the coronavirus in the spring and summer, Tunisia is now experiencing a very rapid spread of the disease with more than 55,000 cases and intensive care units full in some…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Things will get worse’: London goes into stricter lockdown

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE and SARAH YOUNG LONDON, the world's international financial capital, will enter a tighter COVID-19 lockdown from midnight today as Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeks to tackle a swiftly accelerating second coronavirus wave. The respiratory pandemic, which emerged in China last year and has killed over a million people worldwide, is spreading in most parts of Britain, whose official death toll of 43,155 is the highest in Europe. Anger, though, is rising over the economic, social and health costs of the biggest curtailment of freedoms since World War Two. One former government adviser warned some people would have trouble…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Young people living on Harare’s streets provide glimpses into life under COVID-19 lockdown

COVID-19

LORRAINE VAN BLERK, Professor, University of Dundee JANINE HUNTER, Researcher, University of Dundee WAYNE SHAND, Honorary research fellow, University of Manchester THE lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, has had drastic effects on children and young people who live on the streets of many African cities. Their lives, even in “normal” times, are marked by ongoing hardship and tenacity. We work on a project called “Growing up on the Streets” in three African cities: Accra, Ghana; Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Harare, Zimbabwe. The aim is to provide insights into their daily lives…