Introduction: COVID-19 and the Law in Africa
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
Following its arrival in African countries in February 2020, COVID-19 has
severely tested fragile health systems and economies. Since then, it has
taken a heavy toll on individual lives and collective wellbeing. In late
February 2021, “all 47 countries [in the World Health Organization (WHO)
African region] had reported a total of 2,789,965 confirmed cases and 71,204
deaths with case fatality rate of 2.6%”.
1 With limited availability of vaccines
and the spread of variants, the WHO concluded in April 2021 that “the risk
associated with further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 VOCs in the African Region
is currently assessed as high to very high for the overall population and very
high for vulnerable individuals”.
2
The COVID-19 pandemic and the responses to it have generated common
challenges and tensions, particularly concerning the relationship between
public health measures on the one hand and the need to protect human
Description
Keywords
COVID-19, South Africa, Law, Health systems
Citation
Durojaye, E. et al. (2021) Introduction: COVID-19 and the Law in Africa. Journal of African Law, 65, S2. pp. 173 - 180. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021855321000437