Summary

•  Respondents are generally aware of important preventative measures against coronavirus such as handwashing (97%), avoiding gatherings (90%) and social distancing (89%).

• Many in the country are concerned about the health and financial impacts of the pandemic. 78% of respondents were worried about themselves or their family members becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus, while 92% saw the coronavirus as a threat to their households finances.

• The impact on employment and income have also been widespread. 42% of respondents who were working before the outbreak reported that they were not currently working due to COVID-19. The impact of COVID-19 has been most strongly felt in the commerce, service, and agriculture sectors. 79% of respondents reported that their households total income have decreased since mid-March. 

• Some households struggled to purchase staple foods like yam, rice and beans during the 7 days prior to the interview with 35-59% of households who need to purchase these staple foods reporting that they were not able to buy them. 26% of households reported not being able to access medical treatment when they needed it during the same period. 

• Experience of economic shocks in the few months after the outbreak of coronavirus far exceeds shocks experienced between 2017 and 2019. The most widely reported shock experienced by households was an increase in prices of major food items faced by 85% of households since the outbreak compared to only 19% between January 2017 and January 2019. Many households have struggled to cope with these widespread shocks with 51% of all households resorting to reducing food consumption.

• The pandemic has also affected children education. Among households with children attending school prior their nationwide closure in March, only 62% reported that their children had engaged in any learning/educational activities since the closure.

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INFOGRAPHICS