S-RM’s Cvete Koneska and Theo Wye discuss North Africa’s preparedness for COVID-19 with AL-Monitor

S-RM’s Cvete Koneska and Theo Wye discuss North Africa’s preparedness for COVID-19 with Al-Monitor

“At present the situation around the COVID-19 is evolving and it is difficult to reliably judge what the exact impact will be on specific economies,” says Cvete Koneska, S-RM’s Head of Security & Political Risk Analysis. “How badly affected specific North African economies will be will depend on their resilience and capacity to withstand disruptions to global supply chains, travel and trade restrictions, and labour shortages.”

While confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North Africa remain relatively low, the region is taking initial steps toward isolating itself from countries with greater exposure level, in effort to curb or delay the spread of the virus.

In terms of their readiness to manage the healthcare requirements of a local outbreak, MENA analyst Theo Wye notes that “the effectiveness of treatment and diagnosis of COVID-19 will likely differ between rural and urban areas, making the true spread of the virus very difficult to assess.”