Covid-19 has greatly disrupted the Dominican Republic and specialists from the United Nations have measured the virus’s socioeconomic consequences; they are not encouraging. To prepare the Socioeconomic Impact Assessment (SEIA), the UN worked with local non-profits, community organizations and the government’s SIBEN that manages welfare programs here.
Among the findings, the agency says 75% of surveyed are worried they may not have enough income to buy food. Others stated that they had been forced to cut down on spending for food and over 25% said that they were preparing less meals.
Curiously, in a developing country such as the Dominican Republic, fully 85% of those surveyed reported that their children were able to finish the school year in virtual classrooms.
Over 77% of the households have smartphones, but less than 25% have computers or tablets. About 90% of the learning was done using the Whatsapp application on their cellular phones.
One of the most disturbing revelations of the survey was that close to 60% of homes said they had lost a significant portion of their income due to the pandemic. Fewer wages, temporary job suspension, and loss of employment were the causes mentioned. Over 6,000 households were polled for the SEIA last month. A follow-up poll is scheduled.
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Diario Libre
23 August 2020