Caseloads have been lower than forecast, but the pandemic is hitting Africa’s economy hard, disrupting tourism and other crucial sectors. With work at a standstill for many, there’s less money for food and shelter. Here in the Lavendar Hill section of Capetown, volunteers are on this field Mondays through Saturdays to feed children and the homeless. Evictions are on the rise and lives are becoming more precarious. It’s not just shelter that’s been thrown into question because of the pandemic. Food is also becoming scarcer in parts of Africa. The central Sahel region is among the continent’s hunger hotspots. More than half of the populations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria suffers from food-insecurity defined as the lack of regular access to the food they need. In Mali, the trend is getting worse. The pandemic meanwhile rages across the African continent. Cases in Algeria and Egypt are declining, but numbers are ticking up in Morocco and Tunisia. What could another wave of COVID-19 infections mean for a region already hit hard?
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