When the number of new coronavirus cases began to spike globally in March, gloomy predictions expected that Africa would become the epicenter of the pandemic. The reasons were obvious; foremost among them were the weak health-care systems in most countries on the continent. However, six months later, compared to cases and figures from other regions of the world, Africa continues to defy all these pessimistic predictions, a trend that requires critical examination for explanatory and other purposes.

The lockdown measures imposed in many countries have not only restricted people’s freedom of movement but also disrupted their everyday lives. The costs of these stringent measures have been felt in all social strata.