Briefing Paper

COVID-19 Implications on Private Investment and Markets in East Africa

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which started in China at the end of 2019, has spread across the world at an increasing rate. The disease gained recognition in the rest of the World in March 2020 and no continent has escaped the virus. As of 30th March 2021, there were about 128 million confirmed cases and 2.8 million deaths around the world. Declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11th March 2020, COVID-19 has become a global emergency, given its impact on the entire world population and the economy. The pandemic has had deleterious effects on the health systems and health and, as a result, led to loss of lives. To curb the spread of COVID-19, governments have taken various steps such as general confinement and largescale shutdown of economic activities, which curtailed the movement of people and goods. These measures have had serious social and economic implications.