Iraqis are losing jobs, eating less as COVID-19 devastates economy: survey
At least 87 percent of those surveyed have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and 73 percent are reducing the amount of food they eat in order to spend less, according to the survey published Thursday by the New York-based humanitarian aid organization. IRC surveyed 1,491 people across Iraq.
“Although tens of thousands of people are suffering because of the disease itself, there are many more whose lives and livelihoods have been affected indirectly as well. People have lost their jobs and are struggling to find the money to even buy bread. They’re eating less, spending their savings and going into debt,” said Christine Petrie, country director for the IRC in Iraq.
Humanitarian aid organizations are providing emergency cash assistance, “but it is not a long-term solution,” said Petrie.
The COVID-19 outbreak hit Iraq in late February, but recent weeks have seen numbers of cases increase exponentially. There are now 53,708 officially registered COVID-19 cases, up from just under 7,000 a month earlier. More than 100 people are dying of the virus every day. As of Friday, Iraq has recorded 2,160 deaths.
The spike in cases has strained the country’s health system.
The country is under a partial lockdown, from 7pm to 6am daily.
IRC called on the Iraqi government to “re-double” its anti-coronavirus measures in order to slow the spread of the virus.
“The rate at which COVID-19 is spreading through Iraq is extremely alarming. We’re seeing more than a thousand new cases confirmed each day - sometimes more than 2,000 - and it is showing no signs of slowing down,” said Petrie.
Unemployment and poverty are high in Iraq. The United Nations predicts poverty rates will increase to 40 percent this year as the oil-dependent economy contracts by 9.7 percent.
Public anger over government corruption and mismanagement drove thousands into the streets for months of protest in late 2019 and forced the prime minister to resign.
Rudaw
