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To combat the spread of the disease, large restrictions to mobility and gatherings were introduced between mid-March and late May We collected panel survey data on over 2, individuals from poorer neighborhoods of the Greater Abidjan area over the period immediately before and after the start of the pandemic. We document striking drops in employment, hours worked, income, and food consumption in the first months after the onset of COVID, when lockdown was in place.
We also find that, in response, survey respondents received more private transfers from other parts of the country, at a time when remittances from abroad fellβand that some respondents moved either temporarily or permanently. In terms of recovery, we find that subjective well-being was lower on average in December than it was at baseline. Yet, despite schools being closed between mid-March and July , school enrollment suffered little: by December , enrollment rates had bounced back to their baseline level.
Our results finally indicate that government policies aimed at alleviating the worst effects of lockdown only reached a few people, and not necessarily those most in need. As the COVID pandemic surged, governments around the world rushed to make decisions on how to face the health emergency.
The short- and long-run impacts of the pandemic were, to a great extent, a function of the policy response to itβresponse taken, more often than not, with little visibility. Approaches to a pandemic that are too permissive can lead to a worsening of the health situation. Some countries were thus keen to impose mobility restrictions, expecting this would halt the spread of the virus.
