The National Democratic Institute (NDI) says the ripple effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is being compounded in places where public officials have traditionally demonstrated an unwillingness or inability to consider the needs of marginalised citizens.
Persons with disabilities have always struggled to access equitable health services, transportation, and proper water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.
But, in the time of COVID-19, this lack of access becomes life-threatening.
This is coming as Nigeria on Thursday night recorded an all-time high figure of 381 COVID-19 new cases in one day.
The development, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 3526. The agency also reported four deaths with no new state recording any case in the last 24 hours.
NCDC says the 381 new cases remains the highest ever recorded in 24 hours since the coronavirus pandemic broke out in the country early March 2020.
So far, the agency has handled a total of 22,492 samples with 601 cases treated and discharged from various isolation centres and accredited health facilities.
While the death toll in the country currently stands at 107 in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Cross River and Kogi remain the only two states without confirmed cases of the rampaging virus.
Of the 381 new cases reported from 18 states, Lagos maintained its lead with 183 cases, Kano 55, Jigawa 44, Zamfara 19, Bauchi 19, Katsina 11, Borno nine, Kwara eight, Kaduna seven, Gombe six, Ogun five, Sokoto four, Oyo and Rivers three each, Niger two, Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Plateau recorded one new case each.
However, NDI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organisation that has supported democratic institutions and practices in every region of the world for more than three decades.
Its Senior Programme Officer on the Citizen Participation and Inclusion Team, Whitney Pfeifer, says although COVID-19 infects indiscriminately, ‘’its fallout will inevitably impact people differently around the globe.
‘’Beyond immediate health risks, the pandemic’s ripple effect will compound and deepen the socio-economic challenges already faced by marginalised communities’’, pointing out that little is currently being done to ensure information about the virus is being distributed in accessible formats or to engage people with disabilities in crisis-response decisions.
‘’For many LGBTI communities violence is a constant threat and is even more pronounced under a pandemic, where individuals are having to make difficult decisions between violating shelter in place orders or facing violence in their homes.
‘’Members of ethnic minority groups have also had to take extra precaution, facing an increase in attacks as they are made the scapegoats for the start and spread of the virus.
‘’And young people are the most affected by the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, experiencing major disruptions in their education and growing fearful about future employment prospects.
‘’Around the world, governments that have historically mistreated vulnerable populations are seizing upon these extraordinary circumstances to ramp up their discriminatory agendas’’, the NDI official said.
Continuing, Pfeifer says in Uganda, police arrested 20 LGBTI individuals from a shelter for disobeying physical distancing rules. Activists calling for their immediate release argue their detention was retribution for their sexual orientation.
Fanning the flames of weeks of sectarian violence, the Indian government-linked more than one thousand COVID cases to a Muslim group’s annual meeting resulting in the escalation of mob attacks, denial of services, and a rapidly spreading disinformation campaign via the hashtag #CoronaJihad.
‘’In Europe, populist politicians are attempting to exploit the pandemic to push for stricter immigration laws, while feeding into far-right narratives that paint refugees, asylum seekers, and other minorities as health threats.
‘’And in some parts of Africa, media outlets are perpetuating existing stereotypes about persons with albinism, placing the blame for the virus on a stigmatized community already at constant risk of physical attacks.
‘’All this shows how inclusion challenges are likely to mount during the pandemic and endure even after the crisis has passed. Support for inclusion is needed more than ever.
Responding and recovering requires engaging these communities and working in terms of their needs, experiences and perspectives. Governments, donors, and implementers alike should continue to support and fund local organisations to address discrimination and exclusion.
‘’These organisations should also be recognized for the assets they can contribute when seeking practical and sustainable solutions going forward. Young people, who are already running on-line pandemic awareness campaigns, LGBTI organisations with experience addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis, and disabled persons organisations at the forefront of advocating for rights-based approaches to public health, all need to be engaged and encouraged to share their expertise.
‘’Although the legacy of COVID-19 remains unknown, its damage will be mitigated if marginalised communities have the space to exercise their voice and join in decisions that leave no one behind’’, he said.
