COVID-19 Respuestas: desigualdad de infraestructura y capacidad privilegiada para transformar la vida cotidiana en Sudáfrica
Throughout the early months of 2020, COVID-19 rapidly changed how the world functioned, with the closure of borders, schools and workplaces, national lockdowns, and the rapid normalization of "self-isolation" and "social distancing". However, while public health recommendations were broadly universal, human capacity to accordingly transform everyday life has differed significantly. We use the example of South Africa to highlight the privileged nature of the ability to transform one's life in response to COVID-19, arguing that the virus both highlights and exacerbates existing inequalities in access to infrastructure. For those living in urban poverty in South Africa, where access to basic infrastructure is limited, and where overcrowding and high density are the norm, it is frequently impossible to transform daily life in the required ways. The failure of global public health recommendations to recognize these inequalities, and to adapt advice to national and local contexts, reveals significant limitations that extend beyond this specific global pandemic.
Keywords: ACCESO A INFRAESTRUCTURA; ACCESS TO INFRASTRUCTURE; BASIC SERVICES; COVID-19; DESIGUALDAD Y PRIVILEGIO; ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH; INEQUALITY AND PRIVILEGE; PANDEMIA; PANDEMIC; POBREZA URBANA; PUBLIC HEALTH; SALUD AMBIENTAL; SALUD PÚBLICA; SERVICIOS BÁSICOS; URBAN POVERTY
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Universidad de Ciudad del Cabo, Cape Town, South Africa 2: Universidad de Cambridge, UK
Publication date: 15 September 2021
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