WHO Raises Serious Concerns Over Poor African Countries Enforcing Lockdowns

The World Health Organisation has red-flagged the capacity of some countries to effectively impose lockdown due to poverty, Newsday reports. The organisation said the move to enforce a lockdown in some countries which are marred with poverty where people literally work for their daily bread was equivalent in seriousness as infringing on people’s rights.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a media briefing on Monday said:

That can only buy time, but at the same time, each and every country has a strong social welfare system, but other countries don’t and I come from Africa, as you know, and I know many people actually have to work every single day to win their daily bread and governments should take this population into account.

If we are closing and limiting movements, what is going to happen to those people who have to work on a daily basis who have to earn their bread on a daily basis?

Another WHO executive,  Michael Ryan who is an executive director for health emergencies said:

Society-wide measures are not easy. They are difficult and they are hurting people.

Zimbabwe is one of the poor countries with an unemployment rate of 90% that enforced a 21 days lockdown.

More: Newsday