Unmasked:

Since Covid-19 began spreading throughout the world in January 2020, it has drastically altered the fabric of life for many. Amid nationwide lockdowns and the shuttering of public life, millions have seen their day-to-day experiences changed beyond all recognition.

In almost all societies, the poorest communities, and those most likely to work in insecure and informal jobs, have been hardest hit by this crisis.

So too is this true for the world's poorest countries, whose national epidemics have largely begun later than western countries, but whose infrastructure makes them far less likely to withstand the rising tide of coronavirus.

For countries like Brazil and Bangladesh, it is not just the escalating virus cases that pose a risk to life and society.

It is the intersecting challenges that go with it: highly populated and overcrowded communities, disasters like flooding and drought, decades of economic inequality, and weak healthcare systems that could buckle under the weight of far less severe outbreaks.

Meanwhile, as the gaze of many European countries' concern is turned inwards, Covid-19 continues to spread rapidly in the Americas, South-East Asia and Africa.

Below, we explore what is really happening in vulnerable countries like India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and the occupied Palestinian territory.

While national lockdowns have stemmed the flow of infections in many of the poorest countries, it is clear the economic fallout of such measures will be severe.

The shuttering of entire industries has left millions with no way to make a living; for the poorest countries, whose social safety nets are weak or non-existent, escalating poverty levels will be particularly severe.

Indeed the World Food Programme has warned the pandemic could double the number of people suffering acute hunger, pushing it to more than a quarter of a billion by the end of 2020.

"The worst affected by Covid-19 are the informal workers, the migrant workers, which includes the garment factory workers that ActionAid works with, they are already very vulnerable," Araddhya Mehtta, Country Director of ActionAid Myanmar said.

Nigeria

The Covid-19 crisis is being compounded by the country's high levels of poverty as a result of more than 10 years of conflict led by Jama’at Ahl as Sunnah lid-Da’wa-jihad (also known as Boko Haram).

It now faces an emergency on many fronts, including a lack of water, food and sanitation.

Kenya

Kenya is one of the countries the World Health Organisation has highlighted as having a critical shortage of health care workers, with just one doctor per 10,000 people, the majority in the private sector. 

Shortage of protective equipment is impacting the ability of aid workers to effectively respond to the crisis.

Roughly 80% of employment is in the informal sector, and the pandemic is occurring against the backdrop of back-to-back floods, drought and locust swarms, which had already left the country vulnerable.

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Total Covid-19 cases remain relatively low when compared to neighbouring countries, but the region is insufficiently prepared to cope, should it worsen.

Gaza lacks adequate social protection systems, basic infrastructure, and the medical resources needed to treat a widespread outbreak.

Hospitals in Gaza are short in specialised staff in intensive care units, and a total of just 60 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds are available.

Current rules on avoiding crowds are restricting people's access to hygiene materials and food, making it difficult for families to meet even basic needs.

While social distancing becomes the norm in countries around the world, for the most densely-packed communities these measures are near-impossible.

In overcrowded refugee camps and slums, poor sanitation makes it even more difficult to stop disease spreading like wildfire.

Bangladesh

The first cases of Covid-19 have already been recorded in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, where around one million people live in densely-packed shelters.

Amid growing concern about the spread of the virus, there are also fears that misinformation and myths are causing some refugees to avoid being tested; there could therefore be more undetected cases.⁴

Separately, Bangladesh and India were hit by Cyclone Amphan on 16th May, forcing more than three million people from coastal villages to evacuate to safety.

While the evacuations undoubtedly saved many lives, there are fears the overcrowded evacuation camps are putting people at further risk of catching Covid-19.

Brazil

Brazil's overcrowded favelas, home to as many as 11.25 million people, have enabled the aggressive and rapid spread of Covid-19.

There are now additional concerns as the pandemic is quickly reaching rural areas, affecting communities where access to healthcare is limited.

Despite Brazil's escalating crisis, state governments are planning to relax restrictions in order to stimulate the economy.

The six Brazilian state capitals that concentrate 45% of the country's total deaths (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, Belém, Manaus and Recife) have started plans to ease lockdowns, despite warnings from experts.

As in all emergencies, we know that women and girls are hardest-hit by the Covid-19 crisis, whether it's through violence, poverty, or the long-term curtailing of their rights.

As primary caregivers in families, women are often the most likely to be exposed to Covid-19.

Often trapped in short-term, part-time and precarious work, they are particularly at risk of losing their entire livelihoods.

And around the world, we're seeing dramatic surges in domestic violence as a result of lockdowns.

Meanwhile health issues specific to women, like maternal care, are routinely being deprioritised amid stresses on healthcare systems, further compromising women's health and safety, and millions more girls could be at risk of FGM due to the pandemic.⁵

Ghana

Often considered one of West Africa's most stable countries, Ghana has made progress in closing the gender gap in education in recent years.

There are now concerns, though, for the education of adolescent girls, who are already less likely to be in school due to poverty and inequality.

This is exacerbated by the pressures of period poverty, forcing girls to stay home from school when access to sanitary products depletes.

There are fears, meanwhile, about rising levels of domestic violence during lockdown, made worse by the additional stresses of hunger and poverty which are bearing on family life.

Brazil

According to official data, Brazil's women's crisis service, the Women's Service Centre, has seen a 36% increase in attendance during the pandemic.

Brazil is seeing now just an increase in domestic abuse, but also femicide: official data shows considerable increases in homicides of women and femicides compared to 2019 figures.

In some states, instances of femicide have increased by almost 200%.