Developing Countries: Coronavirus

(asked on 1st May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to monitor the equity of social distancing measures implemented in response to the covid-19 pandemic by (a) national governments and (b) security services in the Global South.


Answered by
Wendy Morton Portrait
Wendy Morton
This question was answered on 11th May 2020

In low- and low-middle income settings, DFID recognises the need for social distancing to be developed and implemented in a context-sensitive way within the wider range of disease control measures. This will both increase adherence (therefore slowing spread of the disease) and minimise negative secondary impacts of these measures.

DFID is working with the World Health Organization and other international organisations, to build context-specific evidence on how social distancing measures can be of most overall benefit to low- and low-middle countries. This includes DFID funding research to model the impacts of disease control measures (including social distancing) on cases and deaths from COVID-19 in addition to indirect secondary impacts. This will help countries to make informed decisions on which interventions are likely to deliver the best outcomes for their populations.

DFID is developing a strong, coordinated, monitoring, evaluation and learning system around COVID-19, which includes risks associated with the role of security actors. The cross government COVID-19 Conflict, Security and Governance Hub has been established to monitor, analyse and support action on risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes governments enforcing lock-downs using the security services, with potential for exacerbating underlying instabilities. The hub is setting up a system to monitor risks such as these as part of a wider cross-country monitoring system. In addition, many DFID Country Offices are working with government counterparts to establish their own country-based monitoring systems and live ‘stability-trackers’.

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