This archive report was first published on 6 June 2020.
On June 1, Tanzania opened its airspace to international travel, marking a significant shift in the region's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This move was followed by Uganda's gradual return of public transport on June 4, sparking concerns among citizens who felt that the government was opening up too soon.
The decision to ease movement restrictions is a critical one, as governments across the world grapple with the challenge of preventing a health crisis from progressing into an economic crisis. In East Africa, the economies have contracted rapidly, impacting government's capacity to sustain social interventions.
While the lockdowns have been effective in staving off the worst of the pandemic, the pressure to ease restrictions has grown as people feel that the peak of any benefits from the lockdowns has probably been passed. The challenge now is to reopen the economies in a coordinated manner, avoiding the asymmetry that characterized the implementation of anti-Covid-19 measures.
A logical first step would be to open up domestic movement, generating the knowledge that informs the next steps. A harmonized view of the risk posed by Covid-19 and sensible mitigation measures are necessary to preclude the risk of disruptive knee-jerk reactions.
A common testing regime would negate the need for lengthy and costly quarantine periods for cross-border travellers, making it easier to reopen the regional economy. Without a coordinated approach, disjointed efforts will not yield much.
