Millions face hunger as African cities impose COVID19 lockdowns
The 53-year-old paraplegic man usually sells phone cards. But an extended lockdown to fight the new coronavirus in Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, has left him stranded.The Lagos state government sent him a text after the lockdown began on Mar 30 saying he would receive a food parcel. But no food came, and with government offices closed, he had no idea when or how he would get any.
The combination of widespread poverty, reliance on imported food and price spikes due to the epidemic could prove deadly if African governments don't act quickly, it says. Food prices spiked as residents raced to stock up. Imported rice rose 11 per cent and the price of garri, a staple made from cassava, nearly doubled, said Lagos-based risk consultancy SBM Intelligence.
Lawal said those people did not understand that the aid was meant only for the most vulnerable. But officials acknowledge they are barely scratching the surface of the problem. "It is a war zone," he said, and the group can no longer distribute food in some neighbourhoods without police escorts.Kenya has imposed a night curfew and forbidden most movement - apart from food - in and out of the capital, Nairobi, the country's coronavirus epicentre.
"Food is more important than corona," he said."The government must see how people are desperate - they will risk their life for food."
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