No part of the world has remained untouched by the coronavirus pandemic. Everyone has suffered directly or indirectly due to the disease or been affected by the preventive measures. Social protection systems are crucial to protect the poor and the vulnerable when such crises hit.

In this case, the higher costs of medical treatment on one hand and a shutdown of businesses as a result of a lockdown strategy to reduce the spread of disease on the other resulted in a reduction in supply and affordability of essential household items.

Higher prices for food and basic goods and limited access, as well as higher medical costs, have adversely affected millions of people. Like many other nations that have faced an economic crisis due to this pandemic, the Pakistani economy has suffered a decline in trade and investment, leading to an increase in unemployment, poverty, and food insecurity.

Most countries are still struggling to protect their people, especially the vulnerable and the marginalized people, who are at a higher risk. In Pakistan, out of the 59 million people earning their livelihoods in the informal sector, 11.5 million people face the threat of falling into poverty as their incomes are declining due to the closure of economic activities. 

Click Here For Complete Articles