GoTriple - Negotiating Intersecting Precarities: COVID-19, Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Africa

authors

Contributors

University of Sussex,

Gulu University ; Partenaires INRAE,

Njala University,

Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les maladies infectieuses endémiques er émergentes (TransVIHMI) ; Université Cheikh Anta Diop [Dakar, Sénégal] (UCAD)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université de Yaoundé I-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Université Montpellier 1 (UM1),

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM),

University of Florida [Gainesville] (UF),

Laboratoire Population-Environnement-Développement (LPED) ; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU),

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD),

Centre Norbert Elias (CNELIAS) ; École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-Avignon Université (AU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU),

Centre Régional de recherche et de Formation à la prise en charge Clinique de Fann (CRCF) ; CHNU Fann

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Publisher

HAL CCSD,

Taylor & Francis (Routledge)

Abstract

International audience 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.