In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), more than80 percent of workers find their livelihoods in the informalsector. They are artisans and shop owners, fishers anddivers, tailors and weavers, truck drivers and marketsellers, among many other informal jobs. In the era of theCOVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, saving lives and protectinglivelihoods are both deeply challenging in SSA countrieswith high informality and almost no social protection.Informal workers and their families are most vulnerable tothe disease, as they toil in crowded bazaars and busystreets. Moreover, informal workers are typically poor andcannot stockpile food or cash for a long lockdown. Strictcontainment measures directly jeopardize their income, theirlivelihoods, and their lives. The analysis confirms thathigher rates of informal employment (as a fraction of totalemployment) are associated with higher rates of COVID-19infection or disease spread. Not surprisingly, countrieswith relatively larger populations are also more likely toexperience higher rates of infection. Given the adversesocioeconomic effects of COVID-19 containment on informalbusinesses and workers lacking social protection, countriesshould take proactive steps to curb the spread ofinfections, treat affected people, and at the same timeprovide social safety nets and economic relief for informalworkers and businesses.
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