covid-19 and the Role of the State: Evidence from Keren, Eritrea

Abstract

The covid-19 pandemic has caused the worst socio-economic disruption since World War ii. From the integral state perspective, this article explores the Eritrean government’s pandemic response and the ramifications for its people. The study seeks to understand the measures taken by the government to contain the virus and their immediate impact on the residents of the city of Keren, using individual stories, in-depth interviews, participant observations, media sources, and archival resources gathered from local and national resource centres in Eritrea between March and July 2020. According to the findings, the state’s main measures were restricting large gathering, maintaining complete or partial lockdowns, quarantining persons who might be infected, closing non-essential shops and stores, setting up hotline services, and running massive media campaigns. However, these measures hurt the livelihoods of the majority of residents, leaving many households without any way to earn a living.