Durojaye, EbenezerLwabukuna, OliviaOette, LutzWilliams-Elegbe, Sope2022-02-012022-02-012021Durojaye, 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/S0021855321000437https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021855321000437http://hdl.handle.net/10566/7141Following 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 humanenCOVID-19South AfricaLawHealth systemsArticle