Some shout “That’s all, keep it tight!” to stop others from jumping in to purchase the money that could give them a discount on goods based on a rapidly devaluing local currency.
A global pandemic has been going on for nearly two years and a new coronavirus outbreak is causing havoc in the economy. It also causes travel disruptions and hospital overcrowding.
The virus’s resurgence in Zimbabwe and other African countries is jeopardizing the survival of millions of people already at the brink of extinction by the pandemic that decimated their economies. If food is scarce, concerns about how to spend the holiday with loved ones or whether to heed COVID-19 warnings are secondary.
Joshua Nyoni, a furniture store clerk, says, “Yes, I’ve heard about the new variant. But it can’t be worse than having no food at home right now.” He is one of many waiting outside the exchange. Nyoni, like many others in chaos, alternately puts his mask under his chin and keeps it in his pocket.
In March, the United Nations Economic Commission on Africa (or ECA) noted that 9/10 of the world’s extremely impoverished people reside in Africa. ECA warns that economic effects from the pandemic in 2020 will continue to push 5 to 29 million more people below the poverty line.
The agency states that if the pandemic continues beyond 2021, an additional 5 million people could be affected, which would increase the number of extremely poor Africans by 514 million.
According to the World Bank, Africa’s economy experienced a 2.4% increase in 2019, and a 3.3% contraction by 2020. This plunged it into its first recession in 25-years.
“The economic disruption wrought COVID-19 pushed hunger crises off a cliff,” Sean Granville Rose, Africa regional director of the non-profit charitable organization Mercy Corps told The Associated Press.
Granville-Ross claims that his organization saw an “alarming spike in needs” in areas such as the Sahel and West Africa in 2021. These regions include Africa’s Sahel, East Africa, and Southern Africa. Granville-Ross also stated that some countries were already in humanitarian crises or conflict prior to COVID-19.
The rise in COVID infections in Africa is causing concern. Africa currently has approximately 9 million of the estimated 275 million cases worldwide.
For months, the World Health Organization has called Africa “one of the most affected regions in the globe” in its weekly pandemic report. It said that the number of cases in Africa was increasing at a rapid rate, “currently doubling every 5 days”, as the omicron and delta variants of the virus push up infection rates. Authorities remain cautious, though South Africa and Zimbabwe both reported a decrease in the number of cases over the last week.
Granville-Ross states that reintroduction of travel restrictions and lockdowns will only “push millions more people into poverty and undermine the slight economic recovery that we have seen.”
Zimbabwe is considered a success story compared to the rest of Africa, where only 7% of the population received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine. However, about 20% of its 15,000,000 inhabitants have been fully vaccinated.
The government is threatening to increase vaccine mandates amid lingering hesitancy. Many people have given up on their fears of infection due to lack of money.
Residents desperate to have money in an economy that values cash, particularly the U.S. dollar as its currency, lie outside banks and foreign currency exchanges, often huddled together for several days. Many elderly people are waiting in long lines to withdraw their pensions, some without proper face masks.
Nyoni outside the bustling foreign currency exchange says, “I would prefer to spend my time here rather than wait for the vaccine.”
He says, “If I get the virus, they might quarantine me, treat or feed me.” But hunger is a different matter: Because your family doesn’t have enough food, you can’t be placed in quarantine. People just watch you die.”
