Abstract
AbstractThis article concerns the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It analyses the sanitary measures that the government has taken to respond to the pandemic since March 2020, the way these measures are enforced, and the extent to which women comply with the measures. The article draws from desk research and empirical data from the eastern city of Bukavu, where the research team conducted 134 structured interviews. The findings show widespread willingness to comply with some of the main measures because of fear of sanctions, fear of the pandemic and because of trust in the state or church. The article argues that many women hold the state accountable for the success in containing the virus, but also criticize the state for not providing livelihood assistance during the state of emergency. Further research is needed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on state legitimacy.
Highlights
When the contours of the COVID-19 pandemic started to take shape globally in March and April 2020, most African governments were quick to take stringent measures to control the outbreak, even when caseloads were still low.[1]
The first COVID-19 case in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was reported on 10 March 2020.2 On 18 March, the DRC had 14 hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19, all based in the capital, Kinshasa
Extent did they comply with the measures? What does this tell us about the way in which people view the state? This article provides a discussion of the sanitary measures that the Congolese government put in place to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, and analyses women’s compliance and their opinions about the government
Summary
When the contours of the COVID-19 pandemic started to take shape globally in March and April 2020, most African governments were quick to take stringent measures to control the outbreak, even when caseloads were still low.[1]. The president already announced strict measures throughout the country in an official message to the nation.[3] Six days later, when the total number of infected people in the capital had increased to 45, a state of emergency was declared for the whole country through Ordinance No 20/014.4 The state of emergency was renewed six times and ended on 22 July 2020.5 even after a number of measures remained in place. What happened during this period? How did Congolese citizens experience the pandemic and measures that were taken against it, and to what
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