Page - 548 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

VULNERABLE548 characterized by intense human traffic, close physical contact, and payments in cash. Crowding is a central feature of the daily lives of the majority of Africans.16 Add to those, meagre housing resources and paucity of vital personal identification data. Despite expanded mobile phone penetration and internet connectivity in Africa, more than half of mobile phones have non-smart features, without internet connectivity.17 As such, dissemination of pandemic-related informa- tion will do well to rely on non-internet-dependent devices or apps, as well as traditional media such as radio and television, notwithstand- ing the limited supply of electricity to power TVs. The above examples suffice to make the point that, to be effec- tive, COVID-19 emergency public health measures in Africa need to be tailored to specific contexts. Self-isolation is largely unviable, as is mandatory self-quarantine, and contact tracing. In this situa- tion where physical distancing is close to impossible, wearing of face masks must be non-negotiable. But as with all behavioural prescrip- tions, proper use of face masks requires proactive public education, particularly for less-educated populations—another example of the necessity of context-specific approaches. Institutional Capacity and Therapeutic Strategy; Supporting R&D As reflected by their low rankings in both the MPI and the Human Development Index (HDI),18 many African nations’ institutional capacities in the health sector are weak. Dismal physician-patient ratios19 persist, alongside a dearth of local specialist personnel.20 Additionally, these nations lack the resources necessary to effectively engage in the worldwide scramble for, or domestic production of, 16. See Munyaradzi Makoni, “Keeping COVID-19 at Bay in Africa” (29 April 2020), online (pdf): The Lancet  Respiratory  Medicine  <https://bit.ly/3bnkStF>. 17. See Laura Silver & Courtney Johnson, “Internet Connectivity Seen as Having a Positive Impact on Life in Sub-Saharan Africa” (2018) at 12, online (pdf): Pew Research Centre <https://pewrsr.ch/3bm1v4q>. 18. See United Nations Development Programme, “Human Development Index (HDI)” (last visited 11 May 2020), online: Human Development Reports <https:// bit.ly/2WlY61j>. 19. 0.25 doctors and 1.4 hospital beds per 1000 people. See Kartik Jayram et al, “Tackling COVID-19 in Africa: An Unfolding Health and Economic Crisis That Demands Bold Action” (April 2020) at 10, online (pdf): McKinsey  &  Company <https://mck.co/2STYOAE>. 20. Such as RTI specialists, ER physicians, human virologists, environmental micro- biologists, etc.