Abstract
ABSTRACT This article shares findings on COVID-19 in Africa across 2020 to examine concepts and practices of epidemic preparedness and response. Amidst uncertainties about the trajectory of COVID-19, the stages of emergency response emerge in practice as interconnected. We illustrate how complex dynamics manifest as diverse actors interpret and modify approaches according to contexts and experiences. We suggest that the concept of “intersecting precarities” best captures the temporalities at stake; that these precarities include the effects of epidemic control measures; and that people do not just accept but actively negotiate these intersections as they seek to sustain their lives and livelihoods.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have marked effects on health systems, economies, and livelihoods across the globe
The focus of this article is the experience of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa across 2020, especially for people living in two rural districts in Sierra Leone and Uganda, where preemptive government measures to contain viral spread com pounded preexisting uncertainties in health, livelihoods, and citizen–state relations
ACDC and World Health Organization (WHO) swiveled in late 2020 to vaccines as the continent faced the uncertainty of a second wave of COVID-19
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have marked effects on health systems, economies, and livelihoods across the globe. The focus of this article is the experience of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa across 2020, especially for people living in two rural districts in Sierra Leone and Uganda, where preemptive government measures to contain viral spread com pounded preexisting uncertainties in health, livelihoods, and citizen–state relations.
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