Answer to Question #212142 in Macroeconomics for Anisha Radhika Kum

Question

Review the last year’s COVID19 supplementary budget of Fiji (available online) and discuss if the initiatives are adequate to mitigate the pandemic. Discuss the drawbacks, and explain how they may be improved. 

Answer 1

The government of Fiji implemented certain measures to help people whose sources of income have been affected by COVID 19 within the lockdown areas, national curfew hours, and social distancing measures. The nation funding for the most vulnerable populations due to COVID 19 will be effective since it will ensure Fijians get the daily basic needs that will make them comfortably stay at home and maintain social distancing all the time.

The funding will also enable people to get access to the necessary health protective measure against COVID 19 pandemics such as face masks, adequate water, soaps, sanitizer among others. Nevertheless, the access to one-off relief payment of 150 dollars for Fiji citizens working in the informal sector within the lockdown area such as licensed Street vendors or hawkers will lower the overcrowding of people in the street which appears to be stimulating factors for the rapid street of covid 19 diseases.  Additionally, the government offers 21days of paid leave for low-income people who tested positive for the covid 19 viruses will also help to contain the spread of the disease since the infected people will be paid to stay home and not be allowed to interact with others.

The supplementary budget offered by the Fiji government has some limitations which include;

1. There were no policies that guide the distribution of the funds that were supposed to provide support to the most need such as women, children, and people with disabilities who are already struggling with life without any sources of income. Therefore the government should put in place guidelines that will capture the most vulnerable peoples.

2. The majority of health care workers in Fiji are women who are either underpaid or unpaid. However, for women who regularly do unpaid households work including cleaning, cooking, washing, taking care of children among others. Therefore female gender will be significantly exposed to the spread of the covid 19 viruses compared to men who will get the great share of allocated pandemic funds. To respond to the above gander funding gap, the government should review the funding measures and consider women who are working in unpaid care services or underpaid jobs and those who are experiencing job insecurity.

3. The government directed all schools to shut down and learning being provided online not considering that many parents in the country cannot afford online learning materials to ensure their children continue learning. Furthermore, Fiji's national social protection measures are inadequate to cope with the economic hardships experienced by families in Fiji due to covid 19. Accordingly, this will affect girls as families maybe decide to take care of boy child education rather than girls, exposing girls to risks of sexual exploitation, early pregnancy, and marriage. Thus the government should put in place the measure that ensures all children despite their economic status and gender get access to learning materials