MENA COVID-19 Bulletin No 2: Exit Strategies and Economic Recovery

Loes Debuysere, James Moran, Zine Labidine Ghebouli, Maged Atef, Lamis Andoni, Luna Safwan, Tarek A Alhouny, Mohamed Murshan, Hiba El Khamal, Lamis Andoni, Salam Kawakibi, Eya Jrad

In this second bulletin, we review the latest data on the Covid–19 pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa, the general easing of restrictions, the economic impact so far and recovery measures. As most EU member states are gradually unwinding their lockdown, the situation is more mixed in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood. There is no general path to deconfinement, as some countries have no exit plan in place yet, while others are already reversing their initial unwinding strategies. All MENA countries share a dire economic forecast though, with levels of unemployment and poverty steadily on the rise. While most countries have adopted some recovery measures (e.g. postponement of taxes, aid to the most vulnerable…), it remains to be seen whether these will have the anticipated effect as corruption still looms large.