Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Economy of a Low-Resource Setting

نویسندگان

1 Public Health Department, Triune Biblical University Global Extension, NY, USA

2 Epidemiology Department, World Health Organization, Accra, Ghana

3 Postgraduate Residency Program, American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, USA

4 Research Department, African Health Project, Abuja, Nigeria

5 Administrative Department, Destiny Assurance Schools, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

doi
10.30476/jhmi.2022.93999.1111
چکیده

Introduction: The lockdown policy imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic hasrestricted various businesses, including trading, inter-state travel for purchasing/selling andsupplying goods and services, hospitality industries, and state revenue generation. The studyassessed the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on the economy of a Nigerian low-resourcecommunity.Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted in Ado-Odo Otalocal government area (LGA) of Ogun State, Nigeria, using a structured questionnaire tocollect data on the economic impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on383 participants aged 20 to60 years in January and February. Data analysis was done using IBM-SPSS version 25.Results: During the lockdown, 26.1% of the respondents lost their jobs, 34.5% experiencedsalary cuts, and only 6.5% got regular salaries. More than half (53.8%) of participants could notmeet their basic needs. All respondents (100.0%) stated that food prices and other necessitieswere higher during the lockdown than before. The odds of losing jobs were 18.74 [95%CI:6.20–56.60; P<0.001] and 4.32 [95%CI: 1.50–12.43; P<0.001] times higher among the staff ofprivate organizations and those doing personal businesses than among government workers.The rate of clients/customers loss was 15.21 [95%CI: 7.59–30.51; P<0.001) and 7.07 [95%CI:3.26–15.34; P<0.001] higher among self-employed and private companies than governmentestablishments.Conclusion: Every worker should enjoy job security to mitigate the job and income lossduring a crisis. Loans and grants should be available for small businesses, particularly toovercome the problem. Food security should be provided by subsidizing goods and providingsupports to help meet the daily needs of housholdsduring emergencies.

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