The worst has happened. A global pandemic which hit the world’s major powers first has swept into some of the poorest countries on the planet. In the war zones of Yemen and Sudan, the virus seems to be bedding in. In Peru, Ecuador and Chile, India, Pakistan and South Africa, lockdowns are fraying as poverty makes them almost impossible.
The virus is taking hold in the favelas, the refugee camps and the remote, indigenous communities of the world. The official global death toll has passed half a million, with experts largely agreeing that the real number is likely to be much higher than that.
As those of us who live in wealthier countries celebrate or worry about the easing of lockdown, it’s important to remember that this global pandemic is far from over, and we’re only just starting to understand the attacks on democracy it has brought: a new study this week has found that nearly half of UN member states have restricted media coverage of the pandemic.
