Measures to control COVID-19 can be made more effective by targeting, embracing, and engaging informal workers, migrants and other populations in vulnerable situations, say new recommendations from the WHO Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO/PAHO). These measures and more are detailed in the newly launched “Guidelines for the application of non-pharmacological public health measures in populations in vulnerable situations in the context of COVID-19.”
The publication includes guidance on how to improve the effectiveness of interventions such as school and business closures, confinement at home, restrictions on transportation, and others – by ensuring that everyone can adhere to them, especially those populations in vulnerable situations. Recommendations are made on identifying the groups most impacted by these interventions and their barriers to adherence, along with suggestions on how to adapt the interventions so populations are protected.
Informal workers, migrants, and people living in overcrowded conditions, have been especially vulnerable during the pandemic.
The 60-page publication notes that some interventions have had negative secondary effects on these population groups, many of whom were struggling even before COVID-19 hit. It calls on policy makers to address the unintended effects of interventions such as business closures that leave informal workers without pay. Likewise, some of the public health recommendations – such as telling people to wash their hands frequently when they have little or no access to clean water and soap - have proven difficult for them.
Leaders must always consider equity issues and the social determinants of health when considering how to deal with the pandemic, the publication’s authors conclude.
WHO thanks all donors and partners who have contributed to fund the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to combat COVID-19. A special appreciation goes to Member States and other contributors who provided flexible funds, making it possible for WHO to deliver a coherent, strategic and broad response.
Read more about new recommendations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas