Insult to Injury: The impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable persons and businesses

Infectious disease hospital

The socio-economic impacts of The COVID-19 pandemic in the Caribbean are non-neutral, affecting some persons and entities more than others, with vulnerable groups including children, youth, women and girls, the poor, informal sector workers and small businesses, being among the hardest hit. To curb the rapid transmission of the disease, Non-pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) – full and partial border closures, lockdowns, curfews etc. – have been adopted and are still in place (to varying extents) by governments in the Caribbean, and around the world.

NPIs, while contributing to reduced transmission of the disease have destabilized social and economic activity, producing negative effects for many, with worse impacts for vulnerable groups, as their pre-existing susceptibility to socioeconomic shocks limited their capacity to cope with the effects of the pandemic. Furthermore, the vulnerabilities among the mentioned groups intersect with broader social, economic and environmental regional systemic vulnerabilities, exacerbating the socioeconomic situation for those on the margins. Factors such as under-resourced health systems, weak or non-existent health insurance and social protection for most informal sector workers, limited economic diversification, high unemployment and greater youth unemployment rate, and predilection to natural disasters, hamper governments’ ability to fully respond to the fallout of the pandemic.

 

Governments have provided a range of measures to ease the socio-economic impact on vulnerable groups. By assessing how vulnerable groups have fared in the COVID-19 pandemic, and how government responses have or have not helped, this research sought to articulate recommendations for policies that would be suitable to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the selected vulnerable groups.

Using case studies of Caribbean countries, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, with varying levels of vulnerability, this study analysed the impacts of the pandemic and response on vulnerable groups with regard to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), education, food security, income, and business sustainability.

The evidence suggests that the pandemic has further widened inequalities and access to social goods in the Caribbean. Children, youth, women and girls, the poor, informal sector workers, and micro and small businesses, especially those operating informally, are more susceptible to the socio-economic shocks associated with the COVID-19 crisis, given their inherent though mostly structural greater level of dependency on others, and unequal access to resources.

The pandemic has impacted all people’s savings and income earning potential, but the poor have been most affected. Households with children and youth, and people with disabilities, are in the greatest need of social assistance. Pandemic-related relief often excluded informal sector workers and businesses, though informal small businesses have experienced some of the worst impacts, particularly as relates to their household expenses.

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