The image of the Italian military transporting hundreds of coffins out of the Bergamo area speaks of the seriousness of the virus. This is in a context with functioning and effective healthcare, authorities with the ability to enforce restrictions on movement in non-discriminatory ways, and digital connectivity to convey science-based messaging about the virus. But in areas of conflict, the situation is markedly different.
Conflict zones are fraught with various forms of discrimination between people on the basis of their political, religious, economic and/or ethnic background. Such discriminations pose additional challenges to fighting Covid-19 compared to other contexts with stable functioning governments. Drawing on their work on conflict and hazard-related disaster response in conflict zones, the authors from ODI outline four areas that warrant close attention by humanitarians and politicians alike.