COVID-19 Updates

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the world, close to four billion people in over 90 countries are under mandatory lockdowns. The virus has in its wake taken both tens of thousands of lives and millions of livelihoods. Countries continue to grapple with the challenges of testing, quarantines and lack of medical facilities and equipment. It is also evident that global trade and national economies will take a much worse battering than expected. Focus created this special section of the website to capture some of the impacts of COVID-19 in Asia

Latest Articles/Statements

COVID-19 Impacts on Women’s Economy, Women’s Rights and Livelihood in Thailand

In 2020, Thailand was the first country in the world to detect COVID-19 transmission outside China. Since then, the Government has aggressively exercised executive and judicial measures, especially on the infinite extension of COVID-19 state of emergency decree, to...

COVID-19 Pandemic: Impacts on Migrant Workers in Thailand

by Supatsak Pobsuk | Apr 21, 2020

by Supatsak Pobsuk* 14 April 2020 Thailand has more than three million migrant workers, mostly from the neighbouring countries of Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. These workers are engaged in labour-intensive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, food processing,...

How have Asian Governments responded to the COVID-19 Pandemic?

by Shalmali Guttal | Apr 21, 2020

By Shalmali Guttal* 19 April 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has made visible the stark realities of social, economic and political inequality in Asia. Class and social privilege, race/ethnicity, gender, occupation and age determine who are most vulnerable to the virus and...

Covid-19 Outbreak: Socio-economic Impact on Small-scale Fisher and Aquaculture in Indonesia

by Focus on the Global South Ally/Friend/Partner | Apr 21, 2020

By Indonesian Traditional Fisherfolk Union (DPP KNTI) Jakarta, April 17, 2020 Small-scale fishers and aquaculture have an important role and become a mainstay in sustaining national food sovereignty. In Indonesia, fishery products provide 54% of all animal protein...

Philippines: Informal Workers face brunt of COVID-19 Lockdown

by Joseph Purugganan | Apr 21, 2020

By Joseph Purugganan* 17 April 2020 The Luzon-wide lockdown implemented by the Duterte administration has been in place for over a month now. On April 7, with the number of cases and deaths rising, the government extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until...

Corona: A View from Below

by admin | Apr 21, 2020

By Fabio Braun Carrasco* 15 April 2020 The novel Corona virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, has ushered many parts of the world in a state of disarray. Within the span of a few weeks countries found themselves implementing measures that would otherwise be unthinkable....