10 things a country needs in place to organise a successful 14-day Covid-19 lockdown

By Ayo Akinfe

(1) You need ample food stocks stored in warehouses sufficient to feed the population during the period
(2) You need a functioning distribution system to ensure people get the food and supplies they need over the fortnight. Deliveries need to be guaranteed within two hours
(3) You need to be self-reliant in terms of the supply of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment so production can raised to meet any sudden surge in demand
(4) You need a social security safety net to take care of the most needy and vulnerable in society
(5) You need security agencies that are public-facing and humane who will enforce the law without mortgaging the dignity of the populace as if they are an army of occupation
(6) You need a working population that does not live from hand to mouth relying on its daily earnings to make ends meet. How does a person live for two weeks off a day’s earnings?
(7) You need a functioning utilities sector that can guarantee the supply of basic amenities like electricity, gas and water. How do you lock down people who have to travel 1km every day to get water for instance?
(8) You need a functioning health emergency system that can respond to calls. If someone is sick and needs to be rushed to hospital for instance, are they to remain in lockdown when there are no ambulances?
(9) Before you introduce the lockdown, you need to ensure that each of your local governments has sufficient stocks of all the foods and medicines to last it over the 14 day period
(10) From everything I have seen so far, the World Health Organisation’s recommended 14-day lockdown is for developed industrialised economies. It is not for countries like India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. Yesterday, there was a public protest in Bolivia, with the people forcing a city mayor to flee because they were hungry. Developing nations need to weigh up the pros and cons of introducing measures like this because if a lockdown will lead to more deaths from hunger and diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery, it may be better to brave Covid-19 as it may be the lesser of the two evils