The Socio-Economic Impact

Assessment of COVID-19
in Mauritius
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 2

ABOUT THE REPORT

This assessment is a joint effort of the United Nations

System in Mauritius. It was prepared under the
leadership of UNDP as part of the broader development
support to national response to Covid-19.

Drafted by:
Ewelina Pusz
Riad Sultan
Aveeraj Peedoly
Monica Pudaruth (Research Assistant)

UNDP Team Lead:

Tony Muhumuza
Renooka Beejan
Anjalee Dabee

Editing:
George Outa

Design, Layout & Production:

Ricardo Cuenca B.

DISCLAIMER

This publication covers the period up to October 31, 2020. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the possibility of errors or omissions
cannot be excluded. All rights reserved. Any use of information, in full or in part, should be accompanied by an acknowledgement of UNDP Mauritius
as the source.

© 2020 UNDP Mauritius

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 3

Table of Contents

List of Tables 4
List of figures 4
List of Boxes 4
Acronyms 5
Acknowledgements 7
Executive summary 8

01. Introduction 10

2. Impact on Economy 13
2.1. Macro-economic aggregates 15
2.2. Sectoral performance 18
2.2.1. Industrial sector 19
2.2.2. Tourism 21
2.2.3. Labour market 23

3. Impact on Households 27
3.1. Household income and debt 29
3.2. Food security and basic provisions 32
3.3. Education service delivery 34
3.4. Health 35
3.5. Intra-household dynamics during the lockdown 37

4. Responding to COVID-19: the quest for resilience 40

4.1. Coping strategies since the outbreak of COVID-19 42
4.2. Risk communication and sources of information 42
4.3. Risky behaviour during lockdown 44
4.4. Efficacy of institutional arrangements 45

5. Impact on the community 48

5.1. A collective account of common lived experiences of the pandemic in Mauritius 50
5.2. Preservation of social cohesion 54
5.3. Crime during lockdown 56
5.4. Vulnerable groups 59

6. Conclusions 66
Annex 1: Economic Indicators and baseline for 2019 68
Annex 2: Input-Output Model 70
Annex 3: Survey method and statistics 71
Annex 4 : Bibliography 72
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 4

List of Tables

TABLE 2.1. Employment, Unemployment and economic activity (both sexes)

in population aged 16-64 and not in full-time education. 23
TABLE 2.2. Impact on employment from employee grievances 23
TABLE 3.1. Employment impacts of COVID-19 at household level 29
TABLE 3.2. Sources of income (December 2019-August 2020) 31
TABLE 5.1. Feeling of safety in your neighbourhood since COVID-19 58

List of figures

Figure 2.1. Economy-wide impact from Government financial support 17

Figure 2.2. Linkages between employment and Government financial support during the lockdown 17
Figure 2.3. Quarter-to-quarter (1st & 2nd) percentage change 2019-2020 in Value-Added 18
Figure 2.4. Projected growth in trading countries 19
Figure 2.5. Employment impact on a 10% fall in manufacturing exports (exc. food and beverages) 20
Figure 2.6. Total economic impact of a fall in manufacturing exports on GDP and taxes 20
Figure 2.7. Tourist earnings January 2019 to September 20206 21
Figure 2.8. Economic impacts of tourism across economic sectors 22
Figure 2.9. Distribution of employment across sectors in 2019 male vs. female 24
Figure 2.10. Employment by formality status 24
Figure 2.11. Employment at risk due to declining manufacturing exports 26
Figure 2.12. Employment impacts of declining tourism sector 26
Figure 3.1. Fall in household income across economic sectors 30
Figure 3.2. Ability to service household debts by gender 31
Figure 3.3. Percentage changes in food production: Jan-Jun 2019 - Jan - Jun 2020 32
Figure 3.4. Access to food before, during and after the lockdown 33
Figure 3.6. Time spent by households facilitating child’s education 34
Figure 3.5. Households’ responses on education 34
Figure 3.7. Impact on health 35
Figure 3.8. Access to health services 36
Figure 3.9. Health problems due to COVID-19 36
Figure 3.10. Domestic violence reported cases 37
Figure 3.11. Violence onto female respondent by her relationship with perpetrator 38
Figure 3.12. Distribution of household activities by Gender 39
Figure 4.1. Responding to the fall in income 42
Figure 4.2. Main Source of information during lockdown 43
Figure 4.3. Risky behaviour 44
Figure 4.4. Household characteristics receiving Wage Assistance Schemes 45
Figure 4.5. Support during lockdown 46
Figure 4.6. Recovery needs by households 47
Figure 4.7. Assistance required by households 47
Figure 5.1. Larceny and Assault over confinement period 57
Figure 5.2. Official records of crime January 2018-June 2020 57
Figure 5.3. Crimes and safety 58
Figure 5.4. Perceived change in illicit activities 58

List of Boxes

Box 2.1. Methodology 15

Box. 2.2. Selective government support measures 15
Box. 3.1. Approach 29
Box 5.2. Some key highlights from the Survey of the Poorest of the Poor 59
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 5

Acronyms

CTSP Confederation Travayere Secteur Prive

CPI Consumer Price Index

EU European Union

FDI Foreign Direct Investment

FTE Full Time Equivalent

GDFC Gross Domestic Fixed Capital

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GGI Global Gender Gap Index

GIS Government Information Service

GVA Gross Value Added

HBS Household Budget Survey

HDI Human Development Index

ICT Information and Communication Technology

IMF International Monetary Fund

IO Input-output

MGEFW Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare

NCD Non-communicable Diseases

NHS National Household Survey

PHS Poor Household Survey

RCMPHS Rapid Continuous Multi-Purpose Household Survey

SDG Sustainable Development Goals

SIDS Small Island Developing States

SEIA Socio-Economic Impact Assessment

UNCT United Nations Country Team

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

WAP Work Access Permit

WAS Wage Assistance Scheme

WB World Bank

WHO World Health Organisation

WTO World Trade Organisation

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 6
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 7

Acknowledgements

This report was developed with the technical The preparation process was widely consultative,
leadership and financial support of the United including the participation of several ministries
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as part and institutions, namely: the Ministry of Finance,
of the advocacy efforts of the wider United Nations Economic Planning and Development; Ministry of
System led by the Resident Coordinator to support the Gender Equality, Child Development and Family
socio-economic response and recovery efforts to the Welfare; Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security
Covid-19 pandemic. UNDP wishes to acknowledge and National Solidarity; Ministry of Labour, Human
the financial support of the Government of Japan Resource Development and Training; the National
that facilitated the entire process. Empowerment Foundation (NEF); Mauritius Police
Force; Statistics Mauritius; University of Mauritius;
The report was guided by a core technical team Mauritius Council of Social Services (MACOSS);
that was nominated by the United Nations Country FoodWise Mauritius; Lovebridge Mauritius; Rainbow
Team and chaired by the UNDP Senior Economist Foundation; Prevention Information Et Lutte Contre
and the Head of the Socio-Economic Development Le Sida (PILS); Aides, Infos, Liberté, Espoir, Solidarité
Unit of UNDP in Mauritius. The core technical team (AILES); Collectif Urgence Toxida (CUT); Association
included representation from the International Kinouétél; WE Empower; Women in Networking
Organisation for Migration (IOM), UNDP, United (WIN); Mauritius Co-operative Agricultural Federation
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women, World Ltd; Fact Sheet; and Mauritius Export Association.
Bank and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The
comprehensive household survey that informed the Special appreciation goes to the citizens of Mauritius
report was designed and analysed with technical for their unconditional participation in the household
support from the UNDP’s Crisis Bureau in New survey amidst pressures to cope with the pandemic.
York in order to enable comparability with surveys
conducted globally for assessing the impacts of the
COVID-19 pandemic.

Christine N. Umutoni Amanda K. Serumaga

UN Resident Coordinator UNDP Resident Representative
Mauritius and Seychelles Mauritius and Seychelles
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 8

Executive summary

This report provides an initial assessment of the of 2020 relative to 2019, respectively. Real estate
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Mauritius. activities (-1.2%), financial and insurance activities
It was undertaken as part of the efforts to respond (0.2%), and public administration (-6.7%) were less
to the UN Secretary General’s call on the UN impacted. Without the Government’s financial
system to support countries in responding to the support, the impact on the output could have been
pandemic. The report utilizes a combination of even worse. The fall in tourism would have led to an
household survey data collected by UNDP during additional fall in GDP of around 9% in 2020 relative to
the aftermath of the lockdown, with historical data 2019 corresponding to 51,000 jobs at risk. Similarly,
on macro-economic and sectoral aggregates, and a fall in manufacturing exports (excluding food and
key informant interviews with sector experts. The beverages) of 10% relative to 2019 would have led
novelty of this report, in part, pertains to the effort to to a fall in GDP by 0.5%, while a fall by 30% would
capture household behaviour and their assessment lead to a fall in GDP by 1.5% , associated to 4,000
of the efficacy of immediate recovery support, during and 12,000 jobs at risk respectively. The sectors
and after lockdown, and assessing the impacts on such as public administration, education, health and
the poorest of the poor - a segment of the population transport, where the Government is directly involved,
often not captured in national surveys. The are more resilient and will likely play a critical role
assessment captures the short-term, medium-term in sustaining a significant proportion of domestic
and long-term impacts of the pandemic at macro, consumption demand.
sectoral and household levels.
At the household level, Government recovery
At the macro level, declining exports and Foreign measures were instrumental in cushioning
Direct Investment (FDI) will continue to affect the the population from the severe impacts of the
growth in the long term. The World Bank and IMF pandemic. Households are highly satisfied with the
project that the main trading partners of Mauritius measures introduced by the Government such as
will record negative growth in 2020 which will likely social distancing, mask wearing, hygiene increase,
result in further fall in exports and FDI. Real GDP wage assistance scheme, food pack distribution,
declined by 33% during the second quarter of 2020 and the debt repayment moratorium, among others.
compared to the same period in 2019. The negative No major disruption in food supply was observed
impact on GDP would have been worse, at around after the lockdown, although poor households
40%, had the Government not intervened with relief reported some difficulties in accessing basic
measures. The unemployment rate, that has been provisions. Widespread and timely support from
stable during the past five years at an average of the Government, civil society and communities to
7.1% reached 10.3% in July. The largest effect was felt vulnerable groups have contributed not only towards
in the informal sector where employment during the building resilience but also to the maintenance of
lockdown fell by 89,200 compared to 40,200 in the social peace and harmony.
formal sector.
Nevertheless, there is a need to monitor the
At the sectoral level, high levels of vulnerability situation, particularly among the poorest and the
were observed in manufacturing, accommodation most disadvantaged groups. Overall, households
and food, construction, entertainment and registered a 25% fall in income with the worst
recreation sectors. These sectors registered a fall impact felt in households that largely depended on
of 43.6, 98.1, 89.4 and 85% in the second quarter the tourism sector – 70% of which survived on less
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 9

than half of their usual incomes. People adjusted cohesion. To this end, sustaining domestic demand
to decreasing purchasing power by various means. and social support will be the key towards recovery.
Households relied on less and cheaper food, Continuous efforts to dynamise the economy, in
used savings, and reduced proportion of meals. particular the manufacturing and services sectors,
However, the poor households responded to lower remain crucial at the moment. In this respect, the use
income differently by purchasing food on credit or of innovations in ICTs and digital technologies such
seeking assistance from relatives and/or friends. An as tele and online medical care, online education,
attempt to capture the coping strategies of the poor online shopping and innovative delivery systems,
households, often not enrolled in the Social Register, among many others, could bring new competitive
revealed that close to 97% of the households spent edge to the industries and impove efficiency of
all their income on necessities during the lockdown access to consumers. Businesses, especially
while about 40% sold assets and 27% purchased SMEs and women owned enterprises, would also
food on credit. Children in 62% of these households benefit from acceleration in digital transformation.
were not able to access online classes in contrast to An investment into value chain and smart and
85% attendance recorded in the National Household sustainable agriculture that would eventually lead
Survey (NHS); thus, posing significant challenge to the transition into sustainable and green agro-
in closing the gap in access to education to break industry should also be considered.
the poverty cycle among the vulnerable. As part of
efforts to close this gap, free internet services and It is essential to observe the impact on women,
2,570 tablets are being provided to families in the vulnerable groups, and households at different
Social Register of Mauritius (SRM) by the Government. strata of the society as the economic systems
The period also registered an increase in incidents respond to the new normal, and to ensure
of domestic violence by 33%, with 93% of the cases that no one, especially the poor, is left behind.
perpetruated against women. Unfortunately, most Protection of jobs in affected sectors, assistance
of these cases were not reported to authorities, with to struggling enterprises, employability, reskilling
37.5% of victims having kept it to themselves and and redeployment of retrenched workers are likely
62.5% preferring to confide in other people. Among to grow in importance. The implementation of the
the poorest of the poor, the incidence of domestic National Training and Reskilling Scheme (NTRS) by
violence was 9% being twice as high as among the the Government targeting 9,000 unemployed citizens
respondents in the NHS. is therefore in line to protecting jobs and creating new
ones. A national contingency or response plan could
Amidst its challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic be formulated, with emphasis on the poor and most
has created an opportunity for the population and vulnerable groups, building on the experience of the
decision-makers to reflect on the functioning of pandemic. The on-going collaboration between the
the Mauritian society, to identify its strengths and Government of Mauritius and the United Nations on
weaknesses and to build back better. The complexity the COVID-19 Socio-Economic Recovery Plan (SERP)
of these COVID-19-induced new social dynamics provides a good starting point for conversation on
would require more attention in the coming months. multi-sectoral response to crises.
The risk of job losses and falling income streams are
essentially the main concern of the majority of the
population and precarity can adversely affect social
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 10

1
Introduction
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 11

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented Following the global directive of the UN Secretary
global health crisis that has had far reaching General to support countries to effectively respond
economic and social implications worldwide. and recover to the pandemic, this report assesses
The inevitable stringent lockdown measures, the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius.
coupled with the dynamics at the global scale, The novelty of this report pertains to 1) analysis
have resulted in several constraints in many undertaken at two levels including the first tier that
countries affecting sectors across the board. The captures the impact of the pandemic on the macro-
Republic of Mauritius is not spared. The impacts economic aggregates, select sectors of the economy,
of the pandemic in Mauritius are clearly visible on and households, and the second that assesses the
individuals, communities, and the economy, most of resilience of households through articulation of
which are synonymous with the experiences of other coping mechanisms in the face of the pandemic; 2)
countries globally. the use of a household COVID-19 study collected
4 months after lock down that captured household
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mauritian behavior, impact, resilience and effectiveness of
economy was on a steady growth trajectory, government interventions during and after the
with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate lockdown; and 3) an assessment of conditions of
estimated at 3% in 2019 supported by sustained other vulnerable individuals not enrolled in the
household consumption growth, a significant rise in Social Register of Mauritius. The selection of these
public investment and net external demand. Within groups was based on the geographic locations and
a well-diversified economy, the construction and was assisted by NGOs. Given the complexity of the
services sector were the main contributors of GDP. issues, and the collection of survey data, the report
The positive trajectory of structural transformation has exceeded the expected timeline. However, the
of the economy had helped maintain the downward findings are based on data collected specifically
trend of the unemployment rate from 6.9% in 2018 for this study and provide an assessment which can
to 6.7% in 2019. The Balance of Payments recorded inform decision makers.
a surplus of Rs 32.8billion in 2019. Higher exports of
goods and gross international reserves coupled with The report is structured as follows. In section 2,
a lower gross external debt contributed to the easing an assessment of the shocks (during and post-
of the external vulnerabilities of the economy. lockdown) from the COVID-19 pandemic is conducted
on the economy, applying both a macroeconomic
Being a small island economy, whose outward and sectoral analysis. It ends with an impact on
looking development trajectory has bound itself the labour market and employment. This section
to the global economy, Mauritius bears the brunt uses the IO model and secondary statistics where
of shocks whose impact can be far reaching on applicable. Section 3 focuses on the impact at
society. While it is clear that the pandemic changed household level using the NHS and PHS as well as
the entire landscape, with: closure of international qualitative interviews. Section 4 details the responses
travels and global economic activity including and coping strategies of the pandemic at household
tourism on which the Mauritian economy is largely level and provides a concise analysis of Government
dependent; restrictions on public, private and measures. Section 5 elaborates on pertinent issues at
household activities, there is still limited evidence the level of the community, including an assessment
on the short-term, medium-term and long-term of the impact of vulnerable groups (children, elderly,
impacts that this pandemic may have posed people living with HIV and migrant workers).
across sectors.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 12

Timelines of the COVID-19 outbreak

Borders closed 19 18 First cases

MAR C H
of COVID-19

24
Sanitary curfew
Stay at Home
30

AP R I L

Wage Assistance &

Self employed Schemes
Shops opened
Essential movement
allowed with WAP
M AY

30

31 Total re-opening of economy

End of Lockdown

01 Borders open
OC TO B ER

2 weeks quarantine
requirement
NOVE M BE R

07 453 10 416 27
Cases of Death Recovered Active
COVID-19 cases
recorded
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 13

Impact on
2
Economy
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 14

Summary:
A B C

• The disruption of economic • Without the Government stimulus, • The shock had a direct effect
activities due to the lockdown the fall in GDP the first quarter of on accommodation and food
had significant impact on output. 2020 relative to 2019 would have services, textile and other
been 40% lower instead of the manufacturing sectors, while
reported 33%, and almost 51,000 the vulnerability of agriculture,
jobs would have been at risk. wholesale and retail trade was
due to the indirect linkages to the
hard-hit sectors.

D E F

• Some sectors such as • Short-term stabilization, • New sectors such as the ocean
construction were hit because stimulating domestic demand economy could be considered
of the interruptions; the main and social support is essential to strongly to drive the economy in
effects of pandemic are likely to sustain the economy during the the longer term.
be felt in coming months as the difficult economic situation.
investment take a
downward trend
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 15

2.1. Macro-economic
aggregates

The immediate economic impacts are demonstrated

by indicators for the first quarter of 2020 which mainly
Box 2.1. Methodology
reflected the disruption in activities for the end of
March, for nearly 11 days. Compared to the 1st quarter
This section utilises the input-output (IO) model to
of 2019, GDP at basic prices for the 1st quarter of 2020
estimate the inter-sectoral linkages in an economy.
recorded a negative growth of 2.6%, a fall in taxes on
products net of subsidies by 6.7% and a fall in Export-
The model allows for analysis of the direct and indirect
Oriented Enterprises by 6%. The impact was greater in
effects on output, income, and employment, when final
the second quarter that registered a 32.9% of real GDP
demand for sectoral output changes. An overview of
at basic prices compared from the same period in 2019.
this method is provided in Appendix 2.
This was associated with a fall in taxes on products net
of subsidies by 29.8%.

This impact could have been worse without the

austerity measures that were introduced by the Box. 2.2. Selective government support measures
Government to cushion the economy (see box 2.2 and
appendix 5). Assuming the financial support was fully Wage Assistance Scheme: Rs1821m from 16 March - 31
spent by household consumption, the consumption March; Rs3,343m in April, Rs2797m in May and Rs549m
patterns from the Household Budget Survey (HBS) in June. The total amount disbursed as of June 2020
conducted in 2017 by the Statistics Mauritius can be was Rs8,626m.
used to infer how the injecting of Rs11.4 billion into the
economy from end of March to June 2020 may have Self-Employed Assistance Scheme: Rs 5,100 per
directly or indirectly helped to sustain economic activities month paid out to self-employed people who suffered
following the immediate economic shock (see figure 2.1)1. a loss of revenue. From 16 March to 15 April amounted
to Rs1035m, Rs477m from 16to 30 April, Rs942m in May,
This support helped drive demand of goods and services and Rs9m in June. The total amounted to 2.415m by
to the tune of Rs16 billion, corresponding to a multiplier end of June.
effect of 1.4, creating a value-added of Rs7.8 billion
during this period. It also cushioned the economy from a Food distribution: Distribution of basic food
further 7.2 percentage point decline in real GDP at commodities to vulnerable groups: Rs38million
basic prices. (averaged Rs1,001 per beneficiary). A total of 17,936
food packs were distributed to 7900 households in the
Social Register of Mauritius, while 19,779 food packs
were distributed to beneficiaries of Carer’s Allowance.

Note: With effect from January 2021, until borders are

fully opened, the government has committed to pay an
allowance under the Wage Assistance Scheme and the
Self Employment Scheme in the Tourism sector.

1 — The Household Budget Survey (2017) shows that food and beverages,
housing, water, electricity, gas and fuels, and health-related expenditure
amounts to 52% of household consumption expenditure on a monthly
basis. Using this allocation, the assessment assumes that the Wage
Assistance Scheme and the Self-Employed Assistance Scheme are
mainly spent on these items with the following percentages: 71.1% on food
and beverages, 21.5% on housing, electricity, water, gas and fuels and
7.4% on health-related items. Food and beverages are further allocated to
farming, processed foods, and wholesale and retail trade.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 16

FIGURE 2.1.

Economy-wide impact from Government financial support

Other Services
Recreational, cultural and sporting services
Services of membership organizations

Sewage and refuse disposal

Health and social services

Education services
Public administration and other services
Other business services
Telecommunications services

Real estate services

Financial intermediation
Water supply
Electricity, gas, air conditioning
Public transport
Land transport excl public transport
Water, air, supporting and auxiliar transport
Hotel
Food and beverage serving
Wholesale and retail trade services
Construction and construction services
Other manufacture goods

Knitted or crocheted fabrics; wearing apparel

Yarn and thread; woven and tufted textile
Sugar
Fish processed
Meat, fruit, vegetables, oils and fats
Ores and minerals
Fish and other fishing products

Live animals and animal products

Sugar cane
Forestry
Products of agriculture

0 1.000 2.000 3.000

Source: IO model
 The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 17

Comparison 2nd quarter 2019 The largest relief of Government support on employment
was registered as farming, retail and trade services;
and 2nd quarter 2020 livestock industry; fisheries, and agriculture livestock.
Overal the stimulus was indirectly sustaining around
Reported Statistics Without Government financial 13,000 jobs.
support (estimation)
BASIC PRICES
REAL GDP AT

-32,9% -40,1%

Figure 2.2.

Linkages between employment and Government financial support

during the lockdown
Products of agriculture
Forestry
Sugar Cane
Live animals and animal products
Fish and other fishing products
Ores and Minerals
Meat, fruit, vegetables, oils and fats
Fish processed
Sugar
Yarn and thread; woven and tufted textile
Knitted or crocheted fabrics; wearing apparel
Other manufacture goods
Construction and construction services
Wholesale and retail trade services
Lodging; food and beverage serving
Hotel
Water, air, supporting and auxiliar transport
Land transport excl public transport
Public transport
Electricity
Water
Financial intermediation
Real Estate services
Telecommunications services
Other business services
Public administration
Education services
Health and social services
Sewage and refuse disposal
Services of membership organizations
Recreational, cultural and sporting services
Other services

0 1.000 2.000 3.000

Source: IO model Appendix 1 shows the inflation rates from 2017 to 2020.
The headline inflation rate was 0.8% in February and has
since increased to 2.1% in October.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 18

2.2. Sectoral performance

While the lockdown has wide ranging economic effects Figure 2.3 compares the quarter-to-quarter percentage
which extend beyond the devastating health effects, change in value-added from 2019 to 2020. The
the economic impacts in the post-lockdown period lockdown led to a fall of 2.9% in agricultural value-added
reflects multiple shocks to the economy from both the in the 1st quarter, followed by a further fall of 11% in the
supply and demand side. The impact depends on the 2nd quarter. This was driven by a decline in sugarcane
degree of integration with the world markets and the and food crops production that recorded a reduction of
inter-industry linkages of the Mauritian economy. This 8.5 and 11.4% in the 2nd quarter, respectively. The food
report identified three main external shocks, including: crops sector is of high interest given its contribution to
1) the immediate impact on the tourism sector is very food security especially at a time of crisis. Some sectors
visible with a fall in tourist arrivals and earnings; 2) such as manufacturing, accommodation and food,
Mauritius, having strong trade and investment linkages, construction, entertainment, and recreation, showed high
is likely to be affected significantly through a reduction vulnerability. These sectors recorded respectively a fall
in the production of export-oriented enterprises; and 3) a of 43.6, 98.1, 89.4 and 85% in the second quarter 2020
decline in FDI is an inevitable shock from pandemic. relative to 2019. Others, including real estate activities
(-1.2%), financial and insurance activities (0.2%), and
public administration (-6.7%), were less impacted.

Figure 2.3.

Quarter-to-quarter (1st & 2nd) percentage change 2019-2020 in Value-Added

Accommodation and food service activities

Construction
Art, entertainment and recreation
Other service activities
Textile
Transportation and storage
Mining and quarrying
Other
Manufacturing
Professional, scientific and technical act.
Administrative and support services act.
Food (exc. sugar)
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning
Wholesales & retail trade
of which wholesale and retail trade
Sugar
Education
Other
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
Sugarcane
Other
Water supply; sewerage, waste management
Public administration and defence
Human health and social work activities
Real estate activities
Financial leasing and other credit...
Financial and insurance activities
of which owner occupied dwellings
Monetary intermediation
Insurance reinsurance and pension funding
Information and communication

-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20

Source: Statistics Mauritius 2nd Quarter 2020 1st Quarter 2020

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 19

However, the real estate activities and financial and stimulated through Government financial support.
insurance activities may exhibit a different trend when However, several sectors such as the accommodation
the external shocks of the pandemic are fully internalised and food service and export-oriented sectors are subject
in the future months. to external shocks which are likely to continue in the
post-lockdown period.
The future trends (post-lockdown period) would depend
on aggregate domestic demand and the latter be

2.2.1. Industrial sector

The industrial sector is made of the manufacturing, FIGURE 2.4.

electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, and
water supply and waste management, with a value-
Projected growth in trading countries
added of Rs 64.4 billion in 2019, accounted for 15.7%
of GDP. The manufacturing sector accounts for 12.5% 5,5% 4,5% 5,1% 5,9%
of GDP and employed 20.4% of labour force. Export-
oriented enterprises, mainly textile products, account for
2,8% 3% 3%
34.3% of the value-added of manufacturing sector and
29% of the industrial sector. Industrial activity mainly
focused on food processing (36%) and textiles and
apparel (29%), while sectors such as pharmaceuticals
and high-end jewellery and precision engineering were
expected to grow in the future with a push towards smart
manufacturing. In 2019, 52.7% of exports were destined to
Europe; UK, France and Italy represented, respectively,
13.9, 10 and 6.9%. Exports to US and South Africa stood
at 11.8% and 11.5% respectively. Key import sources on
the other hand were India (18%) and China (17%).

The pandemic resulted in overall decline in industrial

-3,4% -7,5%
output in the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2020 (figure 2.3),
mostly by 65% in textiles, 27.6% in food processing,
and 46.4% in manufacturing. The impact was greater
for export-oriented output that declined by 54.2% -9% -10% -9,2% -11,1% -4,1%
compared to 39.1% for non-export-oriented output2. It is
noted that export-oriented enterprises employed 42,651
France

U.K.

U.S.A.

South Africa

Italy

Spain

Netherlands

in June 2020 and 47.8% were women. The shock on

manufacturing originated from outside the domestic
economy and would depend on the economic situation
of the major trading partners of Mauritius. The World
Bank and IMF project that countries like France, UK, Italy
and Spain would record a negative growth in 2020 which 2020 2021
could result in the significant decline in exports in 2021.
Similarly, the tourism sector will be impacted as France Source: IMF World Economic Outlook January 2021
and Reunion Islands, UK and Germany constituted more
than 50% of the arrivals in 20193. impact not only on the gross output and value-added
of the manufacturing sector, but also on other economic
An attempt is made to estimate the total economic sectors. As the percentage reduction over the period
impact of the fall in merchandise exports (excluding food is still uncertain, the IO model is used to simulate the
and beverages)4, which stood at 52.3% of total exports impact ranging from -10 to -80%. Figure 2.5. shows the
in 2019 on the economy. This reduction in exports will outcome. For instance, in case there is a fall of 30% in
manufacturing exports, GDP will reduce by 1.5% relative
to 2019 and taxes of products (net of subsidies) will
2 — Digest of Industrial Statistics decrease by 0.8%.
3 — Statistics Mauritius, Oct 2019
4 — This corresponds to SITC section 6 Manufacturing goods classified by Figure 2.5 and 2.6 show the economic consequences of
materials and section 8 Miscellaneous manufacturing articles a fall in manufacturing exports from 10 to 80%.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 20

Figure 2.5.

Employment impact on a 10% fall in manufacturing exports

(exc. food and beverages)
Other manufactured goods
Knitted or crocheted fabrics
Wholesale and retail trade services
Yarn and thread; woven and tufited textile
Water, air, supporting and auxiliary...
Other business services
Forestry
Telecommunications services; information...
Products of agriculture, horticulture and...
Constructions and construction services
Electricity, gas and air conditioning
Water
Other services
Land transport excl public transport
Public transport
Sewage and refuse disposal, sanitation...
Fish and other fishing products
Real estate services
Hotel
Lodging; food and beverage serving...
Meat, fruit, vegetables, oils and fats, grain...
Live animals and animal products
Recreational, cultural and sporting services
Health and social services
Public administration and other services
Fish processed
Sugar Cane
Services of membership organizations
Sugar
0 500 1.000 1.500 2.000 2.500

Source: IO model

Figure 2.6.

Total economic impact of a fall in manufacturing exports on GDP and taxes

% CHANGE IN GDP RELATIVE TO 2019 % CHANGE IN TAXES NET OF SUBSIDIES

% change in manufacturing exports % change in manufacturing exports

(exc. food and beverages) (exc. food and beverages)
% change in GDP relative to 2019

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
% change in taxes products

0% 0%
-0,5%
(net of subsidies)

-1,0% -0,5%
-1,5%
-2,0% -1,0%
-2,5%
-1,5%
-3,0%
-3,5% -2,0%
-4,0%
-4,5% -2,5%
Source: IO model
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 21

2.2.2. Tourism

The tourism sector contributed 8.2% of GDP in 2019 With the fall in tourism from April 2020, the total
directly and 23.8% indirectly5. It accounted for 22 % arrivals for the year would stand at 310,000 and
of employment, 60.3% of services exports and 35% of tourism earnings would fall to around Rs18 billion in
total exports. Mauritius is extremely vulnerable given its 2019. The direct impact would be felt in sectors where
high dependency on tourism and the sector is the most tourist expenditure was normally distributed. These
affected one. The total tourist arrivals for the year 2019 were accommodation services (55.1%), followed by air
stood at 1383,488 with earnings of Rs63,107 million. and sea passenger transport services (12.5%), food
The Bank of Mauritius had forecasted Rs65 billion for and beverages (8%), land transport services (5.6%),
the year 2020 without the pandemic. The fall in foreign recreational-based activities (4.4%) and other tourism-
earnings from the loss of tourism arrivals remains a major related consumption goods and services8, where indirect
concern for the economy. Travel bans meant no tourist impacts will be felt in these sectors as well.
earnings from April to October 2020 until the air travel
was eased, yet easing of travel will still not guarantee The fall in tourism expenditure would impact
recovery in the short to medium term (figure 2.7) given the indirectly on other economic sectors as their demand
second wave of infections in major markets or Mauritius would also decrease, thereby creating multiple
as well as the mandatory quarantine requirements for round of decreasing output. The value-added of the
inbound travellers. accommodation services sector would fall by 77%, air
and water services sector by 30%, food and beverages
In 2019, 34.5% of tourist arrivals originated from Europe, by 27%, entertainment and recreational sector by 9% and
34.4% from Africa and 28.7% from Asia. The main land transport services by 9%. The main indirect impacts
countries of origin are United Arab Emirates (19%), were felt in the agricultural sector (-16%), food processing
Reunion Island (17.7%), France (15.3%), South Africa (-14%), water (-12%), electricity (-11%), business activities
(12.3%), United Kingdom (6.1%), India (4.7%) and Germany (-8%). The total economic impact of the pandemic from
(4.6%)7. the tourism sector for 2020 is estimated at 9% of GDP.

Figure 2.7.

Tourist earnings January 2019

to September 20206
7.000

6.000

5.000
Tourist earnings (Rsm)

4.000

3.000

2.000

1.000

0
May.19

May.20
Feb.19

Feb.20
Aug.19

Nov.19

Aug.20

Nov.20
Mar.19

Mar.20
Dec.19

Dec.20
Sep.19

Sep.20
Jan.19

Jul.19

Jan.19

Jul.20
Jun.19

Oct.19

Jun.20

Oct.20
Apr.19

Apr.20

Tourist earnings (Rsm) Forecast Source: Bank of Mauritius (forecasted trend has been added)

5 – Statistics Mauritius (2019) National Accounts. Statistics Mauritius, Port-Louis.

6 – Figures are deflated using Consumer Price Index using December 2019 as the base.
7 – Digest of International Travel and Tourism
8 – Statistics Mauritius 2018. Tourism Satellite Account.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 22

Figure 2.8.

Economic impacts of tourism across economic sectors

Telecommunications services; information...

Other services

Other manufacture goods

Financial intermediation

Wholesale and retail trade services

Real estate services

Yarn and thread; woven and tufited textile

Live animals and animal products

Public transport

Forestry

Ores and minerals

Fish processed

Other business services

Sewage and refuse disposal

Recreational, cultural and sporting services

Land transport excl public transport

Electricity

Water

Meat, fruit, vegetables, oils and fats

Products of agriculture

Fish and other fishing products

Food and beverage serving

Transport: water, air, and others

Accommodation services

0,0% -20,0% -40,0% -60,0% -80,0% -100,0%

Source: IO model
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 23

2.2.3. Labour market

The employment situation has been stable during the the same period. In fact, according to Statistics Mauritius
past years although marked by some persistent gender and World Bank’s first round of the RCMPHS in May
and age disparities in employment and earnings. The 2020, the inactive population increased substantially by
unemployment rate averaged around 7.1% over the 64% from 205,100 to 336,900 of which 1 in 5 reported to
last 5 years, with a modest improved rate to 6.9% in have worked before the lockdown and to have stopped
2019. However, disruptions in the labour market have working because of the lockdown. This work consists
expanded due to the impact that the pandemic has mainly of non-continuous or temporary employment
imposed on productive sectors of the economy. generally in the informal economy. The main sectors
in which they were employed include manufacturing
Figure 2.9 depicts the number of men vs. women (19.2%), wholesale and retail trade (14.6%); construction
employed in each economic sector in 2019. It provides (13.6%) and private households (10.4%), which generally
the basis for estimating the impact on women and the constitute informal occupations. As the following chart
vulnerability vis a vis COVID-19. indicates, during the lockdown period, the fall in informal
sector employment was more pronounced as compared
By May, employment fell by 129,400 i.e. by slightly to formal employment. While formal employment fell by
above 24% compared to the situation in the first 40,200, informal sector employment declined by 89,200
quarter of 2020. In parallel, the unemployment rate (above 59%).
shot up by 3% points from 7.2% to 10.2% by May 2020.
Likewise, activity rates declined sharply by 16.4 % over

TABLE 2.1.
Employment, Unemployment and economic activity (both sexes) in population aged 16-64 and not in full-time education.

Employed Unemployed Labour Force Unemployment Rate (%) Activity Rate (%)

Q1-20 534, 800 41,300 576,100 7.2 73.7

May 20 405, 400 45,800 451,200 10.2 57.3

June 20 473, 100 66,000 539,100 12.2 70.0

Jul-20 498, 000 57,300 555,300 10.3 72.0

Adapted from Statistics Mauritius and World Bank RCMPHS Oct 2020

After the lockdown was lifted, the employment

TABLE 2.2.
situation has evolved rather rapidly. By June
Impact on employment from employee grievances
employment rose to 366,600 in the formal and 106,500
Apr-20 May-20 June 20 Total in the informal sector. Some further improvement was
noted by July (figure 2.10) with formal employment falling
short of Q1-20 by 12,200. Despite a recovery in informal
Termination
448 534 3283 4265 sector employment there was still a noticeable shortfall
of employment
of 31,600 compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. By
July, the unemployment rate was estimated at 10.3%.
Non-payment
191 628 565 1384 In spite of the rise in numbers of employment-related
of wages
grievances as a result of the pandemic (table 2.2), the
government should be acclaimed for designing effective
Reduced payment recovery schemes mentioned in chapter 1, that ensured
101 186 191 478
of wages the living standards were maintained and employment
safeguarded. Overall, the Mauritian economy has been
Source: Statistics Mauritius resilient enough to avert an unemployment crisis thus far.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 24

Figure 2.9.

Distribution of employment across sectors in 2019 male vs. female

Sugarcane Male

Mining and quarrying Female

Food (Induding sugar)

Other

Water supply

Wholesale and retail trade

Accomodation and
food service
Financial and
insurance activities
Professional, scientific and...

Public administration
and defence
Human health and
social work...

Other service activities

0 20 40 60 80 100

Source: Digest of Labour Statistics, Statistics Mauritius

Figure 2.10.

Employment by formality status

Informal
119.200
July Formal
378.800

Jun 106.500

366.600

May 61.600
343.800

Q120 150.800

384.000

0 100.000 200.000 300.000 400.000

Source: IO model
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 25

According to Trade Union officials interviewed in the In the public discourse on the New Normal brought
context of this study, there have been many abusive about by the pandemic, there were many predictions
dismissals and/or non-payment of wages than what amongst decision makers and observers that the
have been registered at the Ministry of Labour, as country could potentially hit the 100,000 mark in
some employers found it hard to manage their overhead terms of unemployment (See e.g. Le Mauricien 01 May
costs with their labour costs. The first to have lost their 2020; L’express Jul 6 2020) which was estimated as
jobs accordingly were those whose employment was an unemployment rate of above 19%. The fact that the
already precarious and with no formal contracts. Tourism- unemployment rate has thus far been contained to 10.3%
related occupations which have disproportionately been is an illustration that the impacts have at least thus far
affected by travel restrictions and absence of tourists, been contained. However, the sustainability of business
wholesale and retail, construction and, cleaning and and the preservation of employment in some of the
security services are some of the main sectors where occupational sectors which have been the hardest hit
representations had been made with trade unions. in the medium term are open to question. Supporting
Employees on short-term contracts, mainly women and enterprises, jobs and income are particularly necessary
youth, had been particularly vulnerable to these in order to avert a downward spiral which can affect the
abusive practices. economy and society alike.

The impact of a decline in The impact of a decline in tourism

manufacturing exports

In the worst-case scenario (without the wage assistance The employment impact on the tourism sector (without
scheme), 30% decline in manufacturing exports could the wage assistance scheme) is likely to be felt mostly
have led to about 12,000 jobs at risk while a decline of in the accommodation services (22,000), air and water
60% could have resulted in an additional 11,000 jobs at transport services (9,700) and food and beverages
risk (Figure 2.11). (4,300) sector. The total employment (direct and indirect)
at risk without the Government measures is likely to be
51,000 in 2020 (using 2019 as baseline).

Gender dimensions of Covid-19

in the labour market
In Mauritius, an overview of the trends across the 2020 is nearly fourfold that of the change in female
lockdown and in its aftermath reveals a nuanced unemployment rate for the same period. With the
picture. At first sight, during the lockdown period, female exception of the teaching profession where women have
employment, did reveal an even more important decline traditionally been predominant and which has not been
than male employment as of May 2020. From 215,100 affected in terms of job losses, thus far, the main activity
women employed in the first quarter of 2020, this sectors where the employment of both women and
figure fell sharply to 157,000 by May 2020 as a direct men have been particularly affected are in the service
consequence of the lockdown. However, subsequently, activities, accommodation and food service activities,
female employment level increased considerably by 27% wholesale and retail trade. These services deemed non-
between May and June and modestly between June and essential and where working from home is not possible
July. The number of women employed as of July was have been particularly vulnerable to the economic
about 6.5% lower (-13,900) compared with downturn.
pre-crisis levels.
Although Mauritius has, since the mid-1980s espoused
In comparison with men, where the unemployment a dual-breadwinner model and the aspiration and
rate has risen from 5.6% (Q1 20) to 8.8% by July 2020, access to a job contributed significantly to women’s
female unemployment rate has increased but less financial and social empowerment within the
significantly. In this unprecedented crisis, perhaps in household as in the wider economy, it remains a fact
contrast to other economic downturns where women that when jobs are lost, the burden of getting back
tend to be over-representative of the first casualties to into employment generally weighs more on male
make way for men, it can be argued that women have retrenched workers. Although, at this stage of unveiling
(at least at this stage – short to medium term) not been the impacts, it might be premature to come to any
disproportionately affected. While unemployment has conclusions, there are some emerging evidence that
affected both women and men, the change in male more women than men have slipped out of the labour
unemployment rate over first quarter 2020 to July force. Between Q1-20 and July 20, there was a net
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 26

change of (-12,500) in the labour force in contrast to men

(-8,300) over the same period. The number of inactive
employees has also increased by 9,400 for women
in contrast to 1,300 for men. One interpretation of this
trend – which remains to be confirmed with more up to
date data – based on interviews with key informants
Figure 2.11. who work with women casual workers in informal
subcontracting networks is that, unless women are the
Employment at risk due to declining main breadwinners or have dire financial commitments
manufacturing exports and limited resources to draw from, they have the
options to delay their search for employment and to take
Other manufactured goods
up informal and non-continuous jobs as and
Knitted or crocheted fabrics; wearing apparel when required.

Yarn and thread; woven and tufted

extile fabrics

PANEL A PANEL B

% fallin manufacturing exports % fallin manufacturing exports

(exc. food and beverages) (exc. food and beverages)
0 10 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100

-5.000
-5.000
-10.000
Change in employment

-10.000 -15.000

-15.000 -20.000
-25.000
-20.000
-30.000

-25.000 -35.000

Figure 2.12.

Employment impacts of declining tourism sector

Products of agriculture
Forestry
Sugar Cane
Live animals and animal products
Fish and other fishing products
Ores and Minerals
Meat, fruit, vegetables, oils and fats
Fish processed
Sugar
Yarn and thread; woven and tufted textile
Knitted or crocheted fabrics; wearing apparel
Other manufacture goods
Construction and construction services
Wholesale and retail trade services
Food and beverage serving services
Accommodations services
Transport services: water, air, supporting and auxiliary
Land transport excl. public transport
Public transport
Electricity
Water supply
Financial intermediation, insurance and auxiliar services
Real estate services
Telecommunications services; information retrieval
Other business services
Public administration and other services to the community
Education services
Health and social services
Sewage and refuse disposal, sanitation and other...
Services of membership organizations
Recreational, cultural and sporting services
Other services
-25.000 -20.000 -15.000 -10.000 -5.000 0
Source: IO model
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 27

3
Impact on
Households
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 28

Summary:
A B C

• There was no major disruption in • Psychological effects such as • The model of delivery of
food supply after the lockdown anxiety, depression and sleeping education services was effective
although the poorest households disorder were reported to all among households that received
still reported a difficulty to buy segment of the population, but it, but the poor still require
basic provisions; food and water, mostly among poor households. significant support to access
and housing remain priority for online services.
this category.

D E

• Domestic violence increased • Intra-household time location to

during the lockdown period, but domestic activity increased but
female victims did not the overall burden was still
report incidences. faced by women.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 29

3.1. Household income

and debt

The average fall in monthly income for the period

stood at 25%, but as expected, the reduction varies
across economic activities. The most vulnerable sectors Box. 3.1. Approach
whose households experienced more than 50% fall in
income were tourism (-60%), construction (-44.3%), food This section was informed by a comprehensive
processing (-38.3%), manufacturing (-33.9%) and textile National Household Survey (NHS) conducted
related products (-32.7%), while household in sectors purposely for this study. The survey was conducted
such as financial and insurance, administrative and approximately four months (23 September to 28
support service, public administration, and education September 2020) after the lockdown was lifted.
have been significantly affected. This corresponds with The Survey had a sample frame of 400 households
the previous observation that the significant falls were proportionally distributed to the number of
registered in sectors like manufacturing, accommodation households per district from Census. In order to
and food, construction, entertainment and recreation. cater for the gender dimension, the sample was
The vulnerable sectors from the NHS are consistent with divided into 200 women and 200 men, by household
the data from Statistics Mauritius on quarter-to-quarter headship. The survey was supplemented by an
change in value added by economic sectors (figure 2.3). additional survey- the Poorest of the Poor Survey of
While sectors have been hit because of the interruption 70 respondents, following the same sampling process
of activities during the lockdown, some sectors such as as the NHS. However, the specific geographical
accommodation and food services, and manufacturing areas (also well-known over the island as the poverty
exports were impacted because of external shocks, while pockets) were indicated by NGOs and the National
other sectors were affected because of their indirect Empowerment Foundation. See Appendix 3 for
linkages to those hard-hit sectors. For instance, the fall additional information.
in income in the construction sector was mainly due to
the interruption of activities during the lockdown and to
a lesser extent by external shocks. Qualitative interviews
with key informants revealed that the sector continued
of those in employment have lost their jobs because
after the lockdown following projects in the pipelines.
of the pandemic at the time of survey (September).
Accordingly, the effect on the construction sector, most
According to the WBSM survey (phase 3)11, the
likely, are to be severely felt by June 2021 as FDI will
unemployment rate was 10.2% in May, 12.2% in July and
be impacted.
10.3 in July and when compared to the unemployment
rate in the 4th quarter of 2019 at 6.4% , the figure is
Women witnessed relatively higher negative change
statistically consistent within some margin of confidence
in income than men in the wholesale and retail trade,
with the WBSM.
food service, and accommodation and hotel sector
(Figure 3.1). Further analysis on vulnerable sectors,
including women, are provided in section 6. TABLE 3.1.
Employment impacts of COVID-19 at household level
The impact on purchasing power will be mostly felt
Male Female
by households whose members have lost their jobs
because of the COVID-19. As such, the NHS has a Employment status during COVID-19
6.07 4.61
specific question on the number of households who
have lost their jobs because of the COVID-19. The survey Lost the job and still unemployed 7.15 5.09
reveals that 6% of the households have at least a male
member who has lost a job and is still unemployed while
Lost the job temporarily but has 2.18 0.97
5% has one female member in this category. The NHS is returned to the same job by now
not within the scope to estimate the unemployment rate
in neither of its objectives nor in its sample design. The Lost the job temporarily but has 8.25 4.37
figures are an indication of the employment impacts at found a new job by now
the household level. Nevertheless, a rough comparison Didn’t lose the job but has been
can be made; from total number of household members working from home since the
lockdown (still now works form home) 0.49 1.21
between 16 and 64 (excluding full time students) from the
survey9 and total number of members who have lost their
jobs and are still unemployed10, the NHS shows that 5.2%
Source: IO model
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 30

Figure 3.1.

Fall in household income across economic sectors

AGGREGATE: MEN & WOMEN
% FA LL IN MO NTHLY INC O ME

Accommodation and hotel

Construction
Food processing
Other manufacturing
Textile related product
EC ON OMI C S ECTORS / ACT I VI T I E S

Other service activities

Land transport
Wholesale and retail trade
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
Food service activities
Other business services
Electricity, gas, steam
Human health and social work
Information and communication
Education
Administrative and support service
Public administration
Financial and insurance
Water supply and waste management
-60 -40 -20 0
Source: SEIA household survey

GENDER DISAGGREGATED: MEN & WOMEN

% FA LL IN MO NTHLY INC O ME

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

Food processing
Textile related product
E CONO MIC SE CTORS / ACTIV ITIES

Other manufacturing
Construction
Wholesale and retail trade
Land transport
Food service activities
Accommodation and hotel
Information and communication
Finance and insurance
Other business services informal
Administrative and support services
Public administration
Education
Human health and social work
Other service activities

-70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10

Male Female

9 – The total number stands at 883

10 – The total number stands at 46
11 –https://statsmauritius.govmu.org/Documents/Statistics/ESI/2020/
EI1553/RCMPHS_May-July%2020.pdf
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 31

Households have tried to find other sources of income.

In December 2019, 61% of households had their income
from a paid job; the percentage decreased to 55.5% in
August 2020. In turn, 3.1% of households received their
main income from farming and fishing and this figure
increased to 4.1% in August 2020. Similarly, it appears
that more households had their income in August from a
household business activities (basically informal), selling
of foodstuff produced by the households or support from
other households.

TABLE 3.2.
Sources of income (December 2019-August 2020)

t-statistics for
Sources of Income Dec-19 Aug-20
mean difference
1 Income from household farming or fishing 3.16 4.14 -2.00**
2 Income from a household business (other than farming or fishing) 11.44 12.17 -1.13
3 Income from a paid job (held by a household member or yourself) 61.31 55.47 4.33***
4 Foodstuff produced by the household from farming, raising animals or
0.24 0.73 -1.41*
fishing
5 Support from other households in the country 1.95 2.68 -1.34*
6 Income from properties, investments or savings 5.84 6.08 -0.33
7 Private pension 4.62 5.11 -1.41
8 State pension or other Government support 25.79 26.52 1.00
9 Charity from NGOs or other charitable organizations 0.49 0.24 -0.09

Source: SEIA household survey

Figure 3.2.
Close to 39% of households had debt, 20.4% of which
were unable to finance them in the coming months due
to COVID-19, while only 40% could only sustain debt
Ability to service household debts
servicing for the next 1 to 2 months. A larger proportion by gender
of female heads of households reported significant
challenges in servicing debt compared to their male Don’t know 7,01
counterparts. It is expected that this effect combined
with other structural and systemic barriers to women’s
participation in paid labour markets may result in an For more than 6 months 21,02
increased feminisation of poverty in the country.

For 3 - 5 months 12,74

For 2 months 19,75

For 1 month 20,38

No 19,11
Source: IO model 0 5 10 15 20 25
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 32

3.2. Food security and

basic provisions

Mauritius produces a wide range of crops and livestock

but most of its staples such as rice, wheat, edible oils,
meats and dairy products are imported. Only 23% of
local food consumption requirements are met by the
agricultural and food sector. However, the island is
self-sufficient in fresh vegetables, local fruits, chicken
and eggs. The lockdown affected food production. A
comparison between production in January-June 2019
and January-June 2020 shows a drop of 17.8%. Almost all
major foodcrops have experienced a decline. Similarly,
the lockdown has caused a decline in the production of
livestock for the period of January-June 2019 to January-
June 2020.

Figure 3.3.

Percentage changes in food production: Jan-Jun 2019 - Jan-Jun 2020

POTATO

10

BANANA
CHILIES
MAIZE

-10
BEANS & PEAS

CAULIFLOWER

BRINJAL

PINEAPPLE
-20

TOTAL FOOD CROPS

GREENS
CABBAGE

CREEPERS

MIXED VEGETABLES 4

-30
TOMATO OF WHICH HYBRID

-40

-50

-60

-70

Source: SEIA household survey

The above situation may have impacted on access to

food by households during and after the lockdown.
From the NHS, it is observed that the percentage of
households who purchased food from local stores and
markets has declined from 81.6% before the lockdown to
48.8% during the lockdown (figure 3.4). The figure rose to
83.5% after the lockdown (i.e. survey time in September),
showing a positive sign of no major issue as far as food
access is concerned.
 The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 33

Figure 3.4.

Access to food before, during and after the lockdown

National Household Survey

Humanitarian assistance
After lockdown

Relying on food stocks During lockdown

Before lockdown
Own production / farming

Hunting / gathering / catching

Home delivery through

online services

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Poor Household Survey

Gifts from family / friends

After lockdown

Humanitarian assistance
During lockdown

Relying on food stocks

Before lockdown

Purchasing from
local markets

Own production / farming

Hunting / gathering /
catching

Home delivery through

online service
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Source: SEIA household survey
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 34

3.3. Education
service delivery

COVID-19 has severely disrupted the education sector 2020) result. Overall, close to 90% of the households
from pre-primary, secondary to tertiary education. were satisfied with the new mode of delivery. However
For the majority of Mauritian students, school, college only 38% among the poorest of the poor households
and university closures during the lockdown signified accessed these services. Although these results must be
a move of about 94% of households with at least one interpreted with caution given the small sample involved,
student, to remote learning through computers, laptops, this result mirrors a critical gap in the design and delivery
tablets and smartphones, which is consistent with 85% of educational programmes that reached poor children.
revealed in the October 2020 SM/WB RCMPHS (Oct

Figure 3.5.
Households’ responses on education
NHS PHS SATISFACTION FROM ONLINE SURVEY

6% 7% 8% 2%

17%
30%
31% 62%
64% 53% 20%

Not regulary No Dissatisfied

Regulary Yes Regularly Neither satisfied

nor dissatisfied

Don’t know Yes but not regularly Satisfied

Very dissatisfied
Source: SEIA household survey

Figure 3.6.

Time spent by households facilitating Parents were unable to devote adequate time to online
education, evidenced in close to 50% allocating 5
child’s education hours or less each week facilitating children learning.
This can be partly attributed to capacity challenges and
None the combination of remote working with other household
activities.
N/A
TIME SPENT

More than 15 hours

5 - 10 hours
10 - 15 hours

0 - 5 hours

0% 20% 40% 60% Source: SEIA household survey

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 35

3.4. Health

About 9% of households experienced a deterioration

in their health conditions during the lockdown. The
figure is significantly higher for the PHS at 17%. The NHS
reports that the main health problems relate to anxiety
(61%), sleeping (37%), depression (32%), headache
(32%), emotion (24%) and stomach (11%). The figures are
Figure 3.7.
significantly higher for the poor households, especially
for anxiety and depression. Impact on health

Anxiety
National
household survey

Depression

Poor
household survey
Sleeping
problems

Emotional
problems

Stomach
problems

Other

Fever

Fatigue

Indigestion

Headache

Aggressiveness

Detrioration
in health

0 20 40 60 80 100

Source: SEIA household survey

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 36

Figure 3.8.
The pandemic has highlighted inequalities in health
care, especially in the lockdown. About 77% of the Access to health services
households required the services of pharmacies during
the lockdown, 16% of whom could not get access to
pharmacies. The support of relatives and friends were Public health system
sought for the necessary medication. Furthermore, 27%
sought services from the health system: 18.5% visited
the public health service, 7% had recourse to the private
health system and 1.2% had online doctor consultation Private health system
service.

There is a worldwide concern that resources may be Online doctor consultations services
allocated to fight the COVID-19 to the detriment of
other treatment services. A recent survey of the WHO 0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
in 155 countries during a 3-week period in May, finds
that the COVID-19 pandemic could seriously disrupt the
prevention and treatment services for non-communicable
diseases (NCDs)12. The WHO warns that this situation
National household survey Poor household survey
is of significant concern because people living with
NCDs are at higher risk of severe COVID-19-related
illness and death. The NHS reveals that households had Source: SEIA household survey
difficulties in accessing services related to mental health,
immunization, NCDs, and to a lower extent, infectious
diseases and child health treatments.

It is vital to find innovative ways to ensure that essential

services continue, even as resources are committed to
fight COVID-19.
Figure 3.9.

Health problems due to COVID-19

Mental health

Inmunization

Non-communicable
diseases treatments
Infectious
diseases treatments

Child health

Maternal health

Reproductive health

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

National household survey Poor household survey

Source: SEIA household survey

12 – WHO COVID-19 significantly impacts health services for

noncommunicable diseases https://www.who.int/news/item/01-06-2020-
covid-19-significantly-impacts-health-services-for-noncommunicable-
diseases.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 37

3.5. Intra-household dynamics

during the lockdown

Domestic violence
Confinement has significantly impacted on domestic
violence as noted from the significant increase in
the number of cases reported at the Family Support
Bureau of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family
Welfare. During the lockdown period 20 March to 30
May 2020, 520 cases were officially reported of which
some 93% were female victims, of which 111 female
survivors left the conjugal roof during the lockdown. Figure 3.10.

Domestic violence reported cases

300

250

200

150

100

50

Jan.18 Mar.18 May.18 Jul.18 Sep.18 Nov.18 Jan.19 Mar.19 May.19 Jul.19 Sep.19 Nov.19 Jan.20 Mar.20 May.20
Source: SEIA household survey

On average, out of the daily number of cases brought

to the attention of the authorities over period January
2018 to May 2020 and contrasted with the daily average
number of cases recorded for the 2 months of April and
May 2020 when confinement was stretching emotional,
economic and social coping abilities, there was an
increase of 33% in the cases recorded daily – that is from
an estimated average of 6 cases recorded daily under
normal times to an average of 8 cases recorded daily
during last two months of confinement. These have only
been reported cases, while the international literature
suggests that reported cases are only the tip of
the iceberg.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 38

Data from the NHS reveal that some 4.5% of the Figure 3.11.
sample have experienced some sort of violence
during the lockdown, women being disproportionately
Violence onto female respondent by her
represented. 7.4% respondents experienced violence at relationship with perpetrator
home during the lockdown. Among the poorest of the
poor, evidence from the survey data indicates that nearly
9% of respondents experienced some sort of violence at
home during the lockdown. The incidence of domestic 7%
violence in this socio-economic category appears to
be two-fold that of the mainstream population. The
7%
Chart below shows a breakdown of the perpetrators
of violence against the female respondents from the
NHS, highlighting that while Intimate Partner Violence 13%
accounted for 73% of domestic violence as a classic
gender-based phenomenon, in no less than 27% of 60%
cases, violence has been perpetrated by grand-children
(13%); children (7%); mother-in-law (7%).

In contrast, 1.5% of male respondents have been

13%
victims of violence at home during the lockdown. Given
the small size of this group, further disaggregation is not
suggested. However, for the few records, the perpetrators
were their children and spouse. Verbal assault was the
most common form of violence recorded (6.1%), followed
by economic forms of violence including denial of
money and resources. Physical and sexual assault were
slightly less in the sample but as the adage goes, each
case is one too many. Victims, particularly most female
victims, did not report to the authorities, in part due to the Spouse Mother in-law
feeling of shame and fear of reprisals from the abuser.
The majority (62.5%) informed other people within the Grandchild Son / Daughters
community, and 37.5% did not inform anyone.
Living partner

Source: SEIA household survey

Distribution of
household activities

The lockdown set in motion several transitional have spent more time (37%) or significantly more time
behaviours and practices to adjust to confinement. (21%) on household chores as compared to 40% for their
Generally, both women and men spent more time than husbands. Only 8% of husbands spent ‘significantly
usual on domestic and care responsibilities, leisure more’ time preparing meals. The same trend was
and personal and/or household activities. Majority of observable for childcare and education.
respondents (an average of some 72% for both males
and females) spent more household quality time. There
was also was increased use of social media, talking
online/phone, watching TV, indulging in hobby shows
across gender. Overall, women (43%) engaged more in
exercises compared to men, while unhealthy practices
such as drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes were
pronounced among men.

However, several traditional gendered roles, mainly

domestic chores, remained skewed towards women.
58% of married female respondents state that they
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 39

Figure 3.12.

Distribution of household activities by Gender

Significantly More The same Less Significantly N/A

more less

Time spent on activities during lock down compared to normal

Arguing in household 9% 15% 19% 6% 47%

Caring for dependents 10% 26% 12% 51%

Drinking alcohol 6% 12% 78%

Excercising 14% 29% 25% 27%

Gradening 15% 14% 17% 50%

Helping kids education 15% 23% 19% 41%

Hobby 16% 21% 24% 37%

Household chores 21% 37% 42%

Household quality time 22% 50% 26%

Other 5% 88%

Preparing meals 20% 42% 37%

Smoking cigarettes 88%

Social media 34% 21% 16% 28%

Talking online / phone 35% 31% 31%

Watching TV 41% 33% 23%

Time spent by spouse on activities during lock down compared to normal

Arguing in household 6% 14% 23% 7% 47%

Caring for dependents 8% 18% 14% 52%

Drinking alcohol 7% 13% 15% 61%

Excercising 13% 19% 32% 33%

Gradening 17% 17% 17% 45%

Helping kids education 8% 17% 30% 41%

Hobby 15% 20% 25% 38%

Household chores 7% 33% 39% 15%

Household quality time 21% 46% 27%

Other 80%

Preparing meals 8% 30% 34% 27%

Smoking cigarettes 5% 14% 13% 66%

Social media 28% 21% 16% 33%

Talking online / phone 29% 28% 32% 7%

Watching TV 43% 27% 21% 6%

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 40

Responding to
4
COVID-19: the quest
for resilience
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 41

Summary:
A B C

• Households rely on less and • Households are highly satisfied • Government recovery measures
cheaper food, using savings, with the measures introduced by such as wage assistance
reduced proportion of means, to the Government such as social schemes and food packs have
adjust to decreasing purchasing distancing, wearing of mask and also been highly effective and
power, but poor households increasing hygiene. efficient. Almost all respondents
have adjusted differently by in the random survey of the poor
purchasing food on credit, households have received food
seeking assistance from relatives, packs and they were highly
friends, etc. satisfied with both the quantity
and variety.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 42

4.1. Coping strategies since the outbreak

of COVID-19

Households compensated for income losses in several

ways including drawing down on savings among
50% of households in the NHS, compared to 34%
of households in the PHS. The low share in the PHS
reflects the lack of savings among the poor. Around 10%
from the NHS reported to rely on less preferred and
cheaper food while 9% reduced expenditure on health
and education, and 8% to purchase on credit and selling
vegetables. Among the poor households, the strategy
involved sale of assets (40%), purchase food on credit
(27%), reduction in the number of meals per day (20%)
and or the amount consumed (14%).
Figure 4.1.

Responding to the fall in income

Rely on less preferred, cheaper food

Purchased food on credit

Reduced proportions of meals

Skipped days without eating

Sent children to live with relatives

Spent savings

Sought financial friends / family / employer

Sought government help

Sold vegetables
0 10 20 30 40 50

Source: SEIA household survey

National Households Survey Poor Household Survey

4.2. Risk communication erroneous practices that increase the spread of the virus
and ultimately result in poor physical and mental health
and sources of information outcomes among individuals13. In Mauritius, rumours have
led to panic buying of groceries and stationeries, which
disrupted the supply chain. Such a situation exacerbated
demand-supply gaps and food insecurities among
individuals with low socioeconomic status and other
The nature of a pandemic such as the COVID-19 can vulnerable populations. Risk communication is therefore
trigger fear or put the population at risk if they are critical for developing effective health preparedness
not aware of the situation. Misinformation and rumours strategies and eradicating unhealthy social perceptions,
regarding COVID-19 can mask healthy behaviours (such in the event of an outbreak. An effective risk
as hand washing, social distancing etc.) and promoting communication, in general, means that all related risk
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 43

messages can be presented and shared to participants in concern is related to the high percentage of the PHS who
a risk communication process openly and timely, aiming rely on ‘word of mouth’ for information (70%). Still, 23%
to rectify the knowledge gap between the originators of households from NHS also relies on word of mouth.
of information and those receiving the information, Word of mouth was defined in the questionnaire to
and adjust the public’s behaviour to cope with the risk respondents as information, which being communicated
proactively14. In Mauritius, a Committee was set by the through relatives, friends, neighbours and colleagues.
PMO to inform the population on a timely basis, while the While the use of social media and internet sites have
Ministry of Health had a website and a dedicated line to proven effective during the lockdown15, word of mouth,
respond to queries. especially for the poor households increases the risk
of misinformation. A need is felt to develop an effective
The NHS and the PHS reveals that the main source of risk communication strategy for Mauritius on COVID-19
information during the lockdown was television (88% measures, especially during a lockdown, which could
of NHS and 79% for PHS) and radio (64% for NHS and reach all areas and segments of the population.
54% for PHS). A high percentage of the respondents Dedicating outreach to women and more specifically to
from NHS (43%) also reported social media (43%) and female headed households is deemed useful.
internet sites (21%) as main source of information. A

Figure 4.2.

Main Source of information during lockdown

Main source of information on COVID-19 (%)

Television

Radio

Social Media

Word of mouth
(family, friends, neighbors, colleagues)
Internet sites

Newspapers

SMS / Messaging application

Community centre / community leaders

Health worker at health facility

Information campaign in public place

Place worship / religious leaders

Door-to-door campaign

Posters

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Source: SEIA household survey National Households Survey Poor Household Survey

13 – Tasnim, S., Mazumder, H., Hossain, M. M. 2020. Impact of rumors 15 – Yasir, A., Hu, X., Ahmad, M., Rauf, A., Shi, J., and Nasir, S. A. Modeling
or misinformation on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in social media. Impact of Word of Mouth and E-Government on Online Social Presence
Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health 53(3):1-5. during COVID-19 Outbreak: A Multi-Mediation Approach. International
14 – Zhang, L., Li, H., Chen, K. 2020. Effective Risk Communication for Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Vol. 17, no. 2954,
Public Health Emergency: Reflection on the COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) pp. 1-21.
outbreak in Wuhan, China. Healthcare MDPI, vol. 8 (64); doi:10.3390/
healthcare8010064.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 44

4.3. Risky behaviour during

lockdown

Almost 10% of households have members moving The main reasons advanced by respondents were the
around during the lockdown most of the time, and need for supplies, seeking medical assistance and
around 56% reported going out a few times. The high assistance to others. However, the survey reveals that
percentage still prevails for the poor households (44%). almost 17% from the NHS reported that they did not have
sufficient information while 15% believe it was not the
right measure. Almost 31% revealed that they found it too
difficult to be confined.
Figure 4.3.

Risky behaviour

NATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS SURVEY POOR HOUSEHOLDS SURVEY

People moving around during lockdown People moving around during lockdown

Several times Several times

Never

Most of the time Never

Always
A few times A few times

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Family members moving around People around during lockdown

Social distancing during lockdown Social distancing during lockdown

3% 7% 6% 2% 4% 4%

A few times
11%
Several times

Never
27%
57% 79%
Most of the time

Always

REASONS FOR NOT COMPLYING LOCKDOWN RULES

People were irresponsible

Found it too difficult to be confined
Had to go out to check on their properties
Hard to go out to help others
Hard to go out to seek medical assistance
Had to go out for supplies
Did not have sufficient information
Did not believe it was the right measure
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

National households survey Poor households survey

 The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 45

4.4. Efficacy of
institutional arrangements

An assessment of the distribution

of food packs during the lockdown
About 86% of respondents in the NHS were satisfied graphs show the association between the ‘likelihood’ that
with the measures instituted by government to combat a household member would receive assistance and the
the pandemic, namely: total lockdown, social distancing, characteristics of his/her household. The finding shows
disinfecting, and planned scheduled shopping time. that the wage assistance was particularly provided to the
Only 10% remained neutral. The Wage assistance applicant who was privately or self-employed (for e.g.
scheme was highly acclaimed by households given its domestic workers), whose households’ members were
comprehensive coverage. 29% of households from the relatively larger, and his/her total household monthly
NHS, and 84% in the PHS applied the self-employed income was lower. This means that those in need were
wage assistance scheme and over 90% were successful. more entitled for the wage assistance scheme16.
In order to conduct a crude analysis on the effectiveness
of the self-employed assistance scheme, the following

Figure 4.4.

Household characteristics receiving Wage

Assistance Schemes

-90 1
Pr ( Received wage assistance)

-9
Pr ( Received wage assistance)

-9

-7 -7

-5 -5

-3 -3

-1 -1

0 50 100 0 5 10
Monthly household Income Rs(000s) Household Size

1
Among respondents who hold some form of debts, 7%
Pr ( Received wage assistance)

-9
applied and received a moratorium for repayment.
The remaining either did not ask for it (63%) or were not
-7
aware of the possibility (28%). Around 2.5% of this group
did apply but their application was rejected. Comparing
-5 the NHS and PHS, it is observed that a bigger percentage
of poor households have received support (cash, food
-3 and other kinds) from friends, relatives, NGOs, religious
groups, members of political parties, among others.
-1

0 10
Self - employed and domestic workers

16 – Logit regression

Receive Wage Assistance -2.14 - 0.03 Monthly Income (0.010)*** + 0.57 (Household Size) + 0.87 (Private employment)
(0.368) (0.093)*** 0.035***
Pseudo R2=0.12, n=412; LR chi square 57.03
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 46

Figure 4.5.

Support during lockdown

Local government

National Government

MRA

INGO / NGO

UN Agency

Community organizations

Friends / relatives

Religious groups

Members of parlitical parties

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

National Households Survey Poor Households Survey

Priorities and assistance There is a general tendency among poor households to

to households seek assistance on housing rent, workfare programme
and training for new skills. The initiative by the
Government to accelerate housing programmes for both
Restoring key sectors of the economy is a priority for low- and middle-income families, with special focus on
the households in general. Safety and dignity is a the needy and vulnerable is therefore commendable.
second priority from respondents in the NHS but is the The NHS, in turn, reveals that households would be
priority for the PHS. Maternal and child nutrition is one better off if tax payments and loan repayments were
area which requires support for the poor segment of the deferred, together with workfare programme and training
population. Health is also a priority according for new skills.
to responses.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 47

Figure 4.6.

Recovery needs by households

NATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS SURVEY

Restoring the key sectors of the...
Safety and dignity
Health
Rehabilitation of logistics...
Maternal and child nutrition
Education
Food security
Water
Sanitation / Hygiene
Livelihoods Protection
Social support and protection
Telecommunication
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

POOR HOUSEHOLDS SURVEY

Safety and dignity
Maternal and child nutrition
Restoring the key sectors of the...
Health
Rehabilitation of logistics...
Sanitation / Hygiene
Livelihoods Protection
Telecommunication
Education
Food security
Water
Social support and protection
0 20 40 60 80 100

Figure 4.7.

Assistance required by households

No need for assistance

Obtain a long-term
concessional loan
Rent support from government

Deferment of tax payment

Deferment of loan repayment

Workfare program

Channels or platforms in learning

Get training for new skills

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

National Households Survey Poor Households Survey

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 48

5
Impact on the
community
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 49

Summary:
A B C

• Widespread support from • There is a need to monitor the • Confinement has brought
Government and civil society situation particularly among about significant increases in
to vulnerable groups have those who face social exclusion interpersonal violence including
contributed to building resilience as precarity can be a threat to domestic violence and certain
and maintenance of social peace social stability. forms of crime such as thefts
and harmony. and burglaries.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 50

5.1. A collective account of

common lived experiences
of the pandemic in Mauritius
The build-up to the sanitary curfew: Fear of the
unknown bordering on psychosis and panic-buying.

The early stages, since the official detection of the

first cases on 18 March followed by the closure of
the borders on 19 March were generally marked by a
growing acknowledgement that something serious and
sinister was happening. Popular perceptions prevailing The complete lockdown – Forced
beforehand that this ‘pandemic lies elsewhere but not adjustments to the new
in Mauritius’ and the limited awareness - at the time - of
the pace and dramatic impacts it would subsequently
Mauritian normal
have globally, started changing fast. Panic-buying not
only in hypermarkets but also in small corner shops The complete lockdown at first further fed the growing
accelerated while pharmacies and filling stations fear of a situation getting out of control. The fear of self
were also charged upon for not only fuel but also gas or relatives being infected, in a context where society
cylinders. The long queues and fast disappearance was bombarded with images of the toll it has on people’s
of essential commodities on the stalls fed even more health across the mass media was rife. The number
panic. The occurrence of 3 deaths within this same stride of deaths in Italy which were skyrocketing during this
further accentuated the growing panic. With the sanitary period, the vivid and often crude display of patients
curfew eventually imposed on 24 March, some of the under reanimation and the intervention of the military
older participants interviewed even evoked a psychosis, were powerful images affecting the social psyche. As
never experienced in the Mauritian collective memory. emerged in a Focus Group Discussion in the region of
In fact, as one participant argues, Mauritius has been Camp Pave in Vacoas, neighbours overnight wanted to
largely spared of natural or man-made catastrophes stay away from each other although no less than a week
in general and even the worst cyclones in history had before they were all on the streets in their usual pre-
some element of predictability – that they would go occupations. Families who had frontline professionals
away in a matter of days and even their damages would called to duty were particularly fearful both for the latter
eventually be repaired. The fear and anxiety caused by and for themselves. The anxiety and concerns were
the curfew imposed during the ethnic strife of February far worse for those whose families had members that
1999 following the death of popular singer Kaya, in spite were stranded overseas or those chronically sick and
of its fundamentally different reasons and short duration, undergoing regular treatment.
were the closest comparable feelings of disarray and
incomprehension evoked, although here the danger did With the need to adjust to the lockdown, this fear of
not have a human face but was a minute and invisible the disease was soon turning to practical concerns
virus which was increasingly being felt to wreak havoc. of survival. Concerns over food and essentials, prior
financial commitments and debts, running of the
household, especially for those with limited savings and
With the explosion of attention of the coronavirus in resources were becoming at this stage equally high. The
the mass media and on social networking sites, there realization that people who passed away (not only those
was a further amplification of the fear of this unknown. who contracted the disease) during this period would
The viral circulation of videos and messages on social not have the customary funeral rites and the absence of
media often fed by unfounded rumours have brought close relatives to provide psychological support further
about several confusions in the minds of people although added to the gloomy nature of this period. Apart from
Government regularly and systematically gave clear the continuation of rumours on the spread of the disease
updates on latest developments. Among some of the on social networks, there were also the emergence of
most spread rumours which disinformed and fuelled messages of disapprobation towards the lockdown, in
further angst and fear were for instance that discovered certain quarters often with an ethnic undertone. There
cases of Dengue were outbreaks of Coronavirus or that were even claims of brewing unrest and organized
cases discovered in the community through contact attempts to raid a hypermarket. The intervention of
tracing had contaminated multiple others by having done police deterred this from happening.
shopping in such and such hypermarket or partaken in
religious ceremonies; or that there would be an outright Marginalized groups who were cash strapped and
food crisis. whose livelihoods involved day to day jobs including
fishing and construction work, were concerned about
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 51

In the agricultural sector, many farmers also

experienced important setbacks. For example, one
interviewee who runs a hydroponic farm explains
that she experienced important losses as her whole
production was coinciding with the lockdown and
the Work-Access Permit which subsequently allowed
circulation was not yet available. She could not rely on
her employees and had to do the harvesting herself
and marketed it over the phone with people in the area.
While normally she has niche markets in terms of local
restaurants and one hotel group, she could no longer tap
into these markets and had to compromise with the price
that customers in the neighbourhood proposed. She
had to deliver on the doorsteps of her customers and
come back later to pick up money wrapped in plastic to
minimize the risks of contamination.

Interviewees employed by the Government, generally,

felt more secure in terms of their jobs and income than
employees from the private sector or the self-employed.
For private sector workers, the Wage Assistance Scheme
and Self-employed Scheme contributed to the protection
of jobs and enabled employees to keep earning an
income. However, by this stage, many employers
in some of the non-essential sectors which were
particularly exposed to the effects of the lockdown were
starting to lay off employees.

Online platforms for the sale and distribution of food

and essential commodities were also a novelty although
their difficulties to meet their basic needs in the
there were soon criticisms that there were severe stock
absence of opportunities to go to work. Having not
ruptures that orders were not being met in a timely
been able to shop and stock, the situation was dire. In
manner or still that the prices were over-inflated.
parallel, people who were seen outside their homes
Also, pre-packed items despite being rather costly as
were severely reprimanded by police. However, with odd
compared to pre-covid prices, did not always meet the
exceptions particularly in the early days of the complete
requirements of people, for instance not all households
lockdown, the population was generally very responsive
needed nappies.
to the instructions established.
The opening of shops and pharmacies for people to
The organization and distribution of food-packs in the
buy essentials is an important milestone which many
community to people at the lowest rungs of society
participants highlighted compounded the spread of the
as well as the design and implementation of the
disease. Initially planned to be organised with strict social
Wage Assistance and Self-employed schemes with
distancing measures, wearing of masks, temperature
the assistance of the Mauritius Revenue Authority are
checks and hand decontamination, the first day of
widely seen as crucial measures which have cushioned
shop's opening uncovered a lack of discipline. In spite of
in many ways the disruptions brought about by the
the Government's assurance that provisions and stock
economic standstill. Many employers and particularly
were available, the fear that commodities would run
the self-employed were unprepared for this cease of
out lead to panic buying and forms of indiscipline that
business activities. Some interviews with self-employed
had to be addressed. Subsequently, access to shops by
people evoke a drastic reduction in their salary often
alphabetical order with more rigid disciplinary measures
down to merely 10% of their regular earnings through
contributed to salvage the situation – the ability to meet
the Self-employed assistance scheme. With the need to
the basic needs of the population while rigidly containing
service overhead fees without generating revenue, many
the spread of the disease was beginning to work.
employers have found it extremely hard to cope and
An important point which has surfaced has been the
were forced to cease their activities. A building contractor
resurgence of the popularity of small corner-shops
who employs masons and pays them wages on a
which had been largely downplayed in recent times
fortnightly basis reports that he had to dig into his own
with the advent of hypermarkets and shopping malls.
savings to pay his workers as they were totally reliant on
Often allowing credit-purchases, these corner shops
this income for them and their families to survive. He had
have played an important role in facilitating access to
to wait for over 6 weeks to recover his money from
commodities within the local community.
his employer.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 52

Salient elements of a new lifestyle

Confinement brought about a range of disruptions participants were also critical of the exploitive prices
in social life some more radical than others and which farmers were putting on their vegetables in
which people had to learn to contend with. The some regions.
qualitative data obtained indicates that far from being
a homogeneous experience, there are important Food vendors of local comfort fast-foods (rotis and
variations in terms of how people according to social dhollpuris; Chinese noodles and dumplings) which had, in
class, occupational group, gender, age, region have the words of one participant “almost become delicacies
experienced it. An important segment of the population since confinement” were also gradually getting back in
had to juggle with reductions in income and adopt strict business albeit in clandestine manners.
austerity measures in order to make both ends meet.
Some participants from lower income backgrounds In one Focus Group Discussion, one participant
for instance mentioned that rationing, contenting highlighted that in his neighbourhood, a hairdresser living
with minimum and ensuring that food is not wasted close by would take appointments on Whatsapp and
were common during the time. In the same vein, one go to people’s places for his services. Likewise, another
participant explained that in her household, during the informant highlights other covert micro-entrepreneurial
lockdown “it was only on Sunday that they would make activities around food-making and vending through
a special meal with chicken or meat as they could not informal support networks.
afford it.” Not many low-income households could save
up based on their earnings as these barely matched the These coping strategies were in some ways supporting a
household living expenses. However, those who lived in timid but gradual recovery of sustaining livelihoods.
the rural regions could more easily draw from backyard
gardens, and poultry rearing than those from the urban Those on the social register of Mauritius who live in
regions – due to limitations of space. extreme poverty were provided with food-packs and the
role of NGOs, faith-based organisations and benefactors
Employees in some of the worst-hit sectors as well in providing further assistance has helped to mitigate
as workers operating in the informal sector who used the impacts.
to work as masons, domestic workers, etc. found it
particularly hard to cope and were among those who These perspectives contrast sharply with those from a
were eagerly awaiting a denouement in order to restart more comfortable socio-economic background who had
their activities. Coping strategies such as gardening been able to store provisions, and who did not have
and mutual assistance with close kins and neighbours immediate financial concerns due to professional and
became common. financial stability. In fact, some interviewees from this
background would allude to life in confinement ‘as the
In fact, in relation to the evolution of the number of best days of their lives’ being similar to be on leave from
cases in the community and the gradual stability which work. For this social group, the end of the lockdown was
Government measures and public cooperation were not particularly welcomed. The extensive social networks
bringing, an important coping strategy which began to of this social group enabled the mutual sourcing and
emerge particularly in the rural regions, was a renewal assistance of fresh vegetables and diary from farmers
of the spirit of solidarity. In fact, even within the stages of who could no longer supply to closed hotels and
the lockdown where the spread was under control, there restaurants at a rebated price. The experience of going
were in many places concerns that people had started shopping was not one of taking strict necessities or of
engaging back in small business activities such as counting their money at the counter to ensure they have
vegetable, eggs and fruit selling. Farmers were back in enough to pay – but rather one of abundance and which
the fields. Some participants even argued that the quality as one participant states – “the highlight of the day was
and variety of the vegetables and even local fruits like to showcase on Facebook and boast about the meal we
pineapples that they were getting were of much better learnt to make following recipes on the internet.”
quality and taste than under normal times. In fact, one However, it is also worthwhile to note that many
explanation for this is that under normal times, these entrepreneurs and family businesses who were doing
are meant for export or for hotels and restaurants. Some well for themselves had due to lack of orders found
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 53

themselves in serious financial difficulty. One director of

a catering enterprise, for instance, had to return three
company vehicles which he was leasing and could
no more afford the fees of his children at a fee-paying
private school.

Another important paradox is that while in many

households there was a sense of family unity and an
unprecedented opportunity to spend quality time, in
others, tensions and conflicts often compounded by
stress over financial matters and close proximity brought Likewise, as in many other parts of the world, there was
about important divisions as testified by increases in also the adoption of remote working and online meetings
cases of domestic violence. In fact, across the interviews transforming the informality of the home environment
there have been anecdotes of how some participants’ into a more formal space. Households where both
colleagues who had not been able to conceive after husbands and wife had to work online had to contend
more than 14 years of marriage finally fell pregnant with the difficulties to reconcile household with domestic
during confinement and that generally a COVID-baby tasks and childcare – particularly when extended family
boom is expected. Yet, on the other extreme, there support is not available.
have also been anecdotal evidence of violence and
separation, of how divorced parents were barred by their Leisure during this period was severely constrained.
partners to meet their children during confinement and Typical leisure activities of the average Mauritians
that the law was not being equipped to respond quickly revolve around attending the plethora of religious
to these issues. There was also a common consensus festivals, wedding ceremonies, get-togethers, concerts,
across different interviews and FGDs that domestic window-shopping at shopping malls, participating or
violence also took the form of violence against children watching sports – football, horseracing, restaurants
and elderly abuse and these tally with the official and pubs, beaches and increasingly gyms and physical
statistics which are gradually emerging. exercise classes. The lockdown constrained people to TV
and internet as the main leisure although concerns were
Another general theme which rallied consensus expressed that drinking was more common than usual.
among the study participants was that in spite of being Exercising at home, and as the situation eased up, on the
physically isolated in their own homes, the level of streets, gradually became common.
connection with the outside world with internet access
was very high even among the lowest rungs of society Many individuals particularly those of faith have also
as internet penetration and ownership of smartphones used this episode of their lives as a time to introspect
are high in the country. Many people including those on the deeper meaning of life, of not taking things
above 50s and more particularly the elderly who owned for granted as the assumed linearity of life had been
smartphones but did not use them for social networking radically put into question.
started to make use of these functionalities. They could
also partake in the circulation of information in real time
on social networking sites.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 54

5.2. Preservation
of social cohesion

The multi-ethnic fabric of Mauritian society has thus

far come out of the pandemic largely unscathed.
It is widely known that, generally, in the wake of
crises, many countries must contend with racial,
ethnic or communitarian tensions as social groups
dispute inequities in entitlements or access to limited
resources. However, with the exception of a few
isolated cases of outcry from marginalized communities
which at the beginning of the lockdown were using
the social media as a platform to vent their anger and
disapprobation, and which were even followed by
police interventions, there have been no consequential
incidents to report.

Interviews with key informants including officials from

NGOs and social workers who have been particularly
active at reaching out to poor communities around
the island in order to ensure that they do not lack any
essential material commodities, are unanimous about the
spirit of solidarity and connectedness which prevailed.
Although faith-based organisations were active at
collecting and distributing food supplies, their support
was extended to all members of the community, beyond
their affiliation. As summed up by a Muslim social worker
and activist from an NGO based in the South of the
island, “…at this moment in time when we were going on
the field for food packs and vegetable distribution, it was
Mauritianism which came first, hunger has no religion,
we strived to help all those who needed help… In some
regions, there were mainly creoles, in others there
were Muslims or Hindus, we distributed whatever we
could without discrimination.” Likewise, intra and inter-
community mutual help has contributed to mitigate the

“”
disruptions caused, particularly during the lockdown.

…at this moment in time when we were going on the field for
food packs and vegetable distribution, it was Mauritianism which
came first, hunger has no religion, we strived to help all those
who needed help… In some regions, there were mainly creoles, in
others there were Muslims or Hindus, we distributed whatever we
could without discrimination.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 55

Rural vs. Urban Solidarity Support to the most needy

Solidarity and mutual assistance were argued to be Complementing the extensive support of the Government
pronounced not only in rural regions but even in urban through the distribution of food-packs to those on the
localities despite the generally more impersonal SRM, persons with severe disabilities and inmates of
relationships which prevail in the towns. There is much Residential Care Homes and Shelters, some NGOs
anecdotal evidence of how kinship or friendship-based focused more specifically on their client-base. For
networks across the island, centred around the social instance, Lovebridge focused on its beneficiaries which
media, enabled the swift supply and distribution of fresh involved some 350 families (1500 individuals including
produce and dairy products from the villages to more than 800 children) in some 65 localities across the
the towns. 9 districts of Mauritius).

One interviewee who resides in a Flat in Vieux Quatre- However, there were many other NGOs (including
Bornes, for example, explains how the entire community faith-based organisations) and social workers which
of residents used their personal networks across the worked relentlessly across the whole Island braving
island to obtain and distribute fresh vegetables and administrative challenges particularly obtaining of
commodities which were scarce to find as a result WAPs and liaison with local forces-vives and community
of panic buying. “Many of my neighbours are just leaders; practical and logistical concerns including
acquaintances, we bump into each other in the lift or sourcing of supplies and transportation; while also
in the car park, we were not very close, each one for ensuring that their volunteers and employees are
himself…But during the confinement, it was something adequately equipped to distribute food supplies and
else, we all came together… I knew someone who masks. However, there have been criticisms from some
could provide eggs or freshly baked bread, another local community leaders that some pockets of poverty
one knew where to get hydroponic products (lettuce, have received more supplies than others. Some NGOs
English cucumber, pepper), another one had contacts have in fact acknowledged that based on their locus
at the filling station for those who needed gas…So by of activities, the pockets of poverty which were more
communicating our needs and helping each other we accessible have indeed been treated more favourably
never felt like we were in short supply of anything…” than those which were geographically or road-access-
wise more remote. A more centralized dashboard with
the relevant coordination across well-intended NGOs is
acknowledged to have circumvented this problem and
allows for a more equitable voluntary distribution of
supplies to the needy.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 56

5.3. Crime
during lockdown

Nonetheless, in spite of the attempts to support the that can be given they would take…Some of us have
community and the needy through the difficult phase of helped…but they would come back…We don’t want to
the lockdown, there were inevitably some people who encourage this…When we don’t give, they come in the
resorted to illicit and illegal coping strategies. It emerged yard and they take…We didn’t want to get into trouble…
from FGDs and across many interviews, for instance, that They have nothing to lose, we do…We called the police
in many places across the Island, vegetable plantations and they come for patrol but many of us have already
were being looted. Some interviewees from the urban lost stuff which are not necessarily valuable…”
regions of Rose-Hill and Beau-Bassin reported that
during the lockdown, there were many cases of people Similar testimonies can be found in other regions of
outside the neighbourhood loitering and neighbours had the Island. In fact, some videos of people stealing
experienced the disappearance of different items in their construction materials in houses under construction
yards from gas cylinders to bicycles and even fruit trees or renovation went viral on social media during the
and flower pots which they suspect could have been lockdown. However, while many of these cases have
resold. In the words of a participant, “…At first there were not been officially reported in the words of a participant
people we have never seen in the region…They must “given the hassle to deal with the police and the more so
be from ‘Cite B…’, and with their masks, even if they during this period”, there have been cases which have
are captured on camera, it is not easy to recognize been officially recorded as discussed below:
them…If you come out and ask what they want they
ask for help…their children do not have food, anything

Official records

Officially recorded cases of various forms of crime

by the Police, as shown in the Chart below, indicate
that during confinement there was an increase in
the number of thefts and burglaries recorded which
subsequently decreased after the lockdown was
relaxed. Conversely, the number of cases of robberies
reported, noted a decrease during that period and picked
up after as the lockdown was lifted. The number of
reported assault cases also dipped during confinement
to subsequently note an increase over the months of
May and June.

It is useful to highlight that while the above-mentioned

trends in these categories of crime during the specific
context of confinement seem rather pronounced,
nonetheless when located in longer trends – for instance
within available time series data from police records
over the last 2 years – these trends do not reveal an
unusually higher incidence of crime. In fact, as the Chart
below shows it is only on the case of assaults that there
has been an all-time low which is evident in the sense
that when the mass of the population is confined there is
less risk of assault.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 57

Figure 5.1.

Larceny and Assault over

confinement period

Total Larceny Theft Robbery Burglary Assault

1.200

1.000

800

600

400

200

0
Mar.20 Apr.20 May.20 Jun.20

Source: Statistics Mauritius

Figure 5.2.

Official records of crime January

2018-June 2020

1.600

1.400

1.200

1.000

800

600

400

200

0
Jan.18 Apr.18 Jul.18 Oct.18 Jan.19 Apr.19 Jul.19 Oct.19 Jan.20 Jun.20

Source: Statistics Mauritius

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 58

Survey data

The picture emerging from the nationally representative 5.3 a), while 10% feel unsafe in their neighbourhood after
household survey indicates that 9.5% of the sample have COVID-19 (Figure 5.3b) indicating the impact of these
reported affirmatively to the question as to whether there crimes on their feeling of safety.
‘have been any crimes in your neighbourhood’ (Figure
Figure 5.3.

Crimes and safety

(A) Have there been any crimes in your neighbourhood (B) Feeling of safety since COVID-19

9,5% 10%

43%

90,5% 47%

No Yes Unsafe Same Safe

Source: SEIA household survey

Crime among the poorest

of the poor
From the small-scale survey of those in extreme A host of social problems have worsened as shown
poverty, it has also come to the fore that as compared in the Chart below which corroborates the lower than
to the wider population, the feeling of safety is much average feeling of unsafety. It also indicates that risks
less as the Table below indicates. In fact, although of exacerbating social exclusion and being trapped into
caution needs to be exercised in the inferring from these chronic poverty are high.
figures from a small sample, the indicative picture which
it provides, complemented with insights from the field
from qualitative data suggests that the emerging picture
is a matter of concern.

Figure 5.4.

TABLE 5.1. Perceived change in illicit activities

Feeling of safety in your neighbourhood since COVID-19
Prostitution 19% 8% 73%
Feeling of safety in your neighborhood Freq. Percent
since COVID-19
Dealing in
Safe 27 38.57 illicit activities 4% 74% 22%

Same 27 38.57 Substance

abuse 3% 82% 15%
Unsafe 15 21.43

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Very Unsafe 1 1.43

Total 70 100 A little A lot No change

Source: SEIA household survey Source: SEIA household survey

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 59

5.4. Vulnerable groups

Although there are certainly common experiences according to pre-existing inequalities and vulnerabilities.
of confinement, it is also clear that the impacts of This section outlines some of the main ways in which the
confinement are far from homogeneous but rather following vulnerable groups have been impacted.
different social groups have been impacted differently

The Poor
While it is estimated that 10% of Mauritian households A snapshot of the impacts of COVID-19 on this segment
or roughly 33,600 households live below the relative of the population has been provided by the survey of the
poverty line (Lovebridge 2020) those living in extreme poorest of the poor. Some key highlights are
poverty in Mauritius (which is the focus of the Survey provided below:
of the Poorest of the Poor) are estimated at 1.2% of
the population. As of April 2020, this social group of
roughly 10,300 households comprising some 40,000
beneficiaries were registered on the Social Register of
Mauritius (SRM). The Social Register is a vital element of
the Marshall Plan against poverty established in 2016 to
scale up efforts to eradicate poverty.

Box 5.2. Some key highlights from the Survey of the Poorest of the Poor

Selected areas Baie du Tombeau, Benares, Centre de Flacq, Chemin Grenier, La Gaulette, Pamplemousses, Port-Louis Ward1,
Poste de Flacq, Richelieu, Terre Rouge, Triolet

Typical Profile Predominantly Female-Headed Households (67%),

Low educational level – Incomplete Primary; Primary Education; Incomplete Secondary (89%)
Occupational status: unemployed (16%) Casual workers (41%); Unable or unwilling to work (18%)
SRM (70%) – Not registered (30%)

Of your monthly income, how much would you say you spend on your necessities? Freq. Percent

All of it 68 97.14

More than half 1 1.43

Other 1 1.43

How prepared financially would you be should there be another lock-down? Freq. Percent

Not prepared at all 67 95.71

Quite prepared 3 4.29

Have you ever had to go to bed on an empty stomach because of lack of money to buy food? Freq. Percent

Never 29 41.43

Sometimes 34 48.57

Very often 7 10

Source: SEIA household survey

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 60

The above revealing statistics confirm that those in extended up to Dec 2020. Considering the prevailing
extreme poverty were ill-equipped to confront the effects socio-economic situation, Government has approved
of the lockdown. Although, as shown earlier, assistance the extension of the social contracts of eligible families
has been provided by Government and NGOs to mitigate up to June 2021 depending on their monthly derived or
the impacts of the lockdown on this social group, limited assessed income.
access to secure employment and in particular the
inability to save up for times of need make this group Concerns over how far education is valued among this
particularly vulnerable to shocks like confinement. social group as well as the resort to illicit and illegal
The relatively short spell of the confinement may not activities which appear to have increased further from
have fundamentally affected the progress made in survey findings reported earlier point towards the need
terms of poverty alleviation since 2016. However, the for more efforts to avoid a worsening of the situation of
challenges for the social and financial empowerment this community.
of this vulnerable group and their upliftment from the
social exclusion remain high, given the fact that this Another important concern is the sensitive issue of the
group is disproportionately female-headed with limited ethnic dimension which extreme poverty and social
opportunities for sustainable wage-employment in exclusion have historically taken which has the potential
the formal sector. It is noted that due to the outbreak to affect social cohesion of a multi-ethnic social fabric if
of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Social Contracts with not properly managed.
SRM families which were to expire in June 2020 were

Women
Across the world, it is widely acknowledged that As evidence from this study indicates, the severity of the
the pandemic has brought about differential gender impacts known to be happening elsewhere appear to
impacts with a general tendency that women are have been mitigated in Mauritius. As mentioned before,
being hit harder (See e.g. OECD 2020; UNDP 2020 ). the successful handling of the crisis and the relatively
In countries where deep-seated patriarchal beliefs and short stalling of economic activities and the recovery
practices continue to prevail, where gender continues to which Mauritius has subsequently witnessed has to a
be an important mediator in occupational segregation large extent cushioned the impacts in terms of female
or job tenure and security, with a bearing on income unemployment with the exception of some sectors which
inequalities; where domestic roles and responsibilities, have been particularly vulnerable to the lockdown such
or authority patterns and agency continue to be more as retail and tourism-related activities.
favourable to males; women and girls shoulder a
disproportionate brunt of the pandemic. Even worse, However, there are important challenges ahead as
when gender as a structure of disadvantage intersects women who have lost their jobs or who have chosen to
with other characteristics such as unemployment, put job-seeking on hold may find it increasingly hard
poverty and social exclusion, ethnic minority status, age, to get back into paid employment as they will have to
disability, among others, this exacerbates both gender compete with a larger number of unemployed men.
disparities and intra-women inequalities making the
challenge to address these inequalities even The older female workforce, particularly in blue-
more colossal. collar work, is widely known to be averse to reskilling
and are at best condemned to compete for menial
In Mauritius although the female population is higher occupations often under precarious conditions. The
than the male population – albeit slightly – and although encouragement of micro-enterprises has tended to
girls systematically outperform boys at primary, lead to a mushrooming of low-end products such as
secondary and tertiary educational levels, there is an handicrafts, pickles and foodstuffs and with the return
underrepresentation of women in the labour force, an from these activities being unlikely to sustain a decent
overrepresentation of women among the unemployed livelihood. Limited access to collaterals including finance
– in spite of being relatively more qualified – as well and assets have thus far accounted for important gender
as inequalities of pay and access to positions of power. inequalities in self-employment. Sectors of employment
Some stylised facts about women and economic which are unaffected, and which are even likely to
participation are provided in Appendix 3. expand, including in the Science Technology and
Innovation Sectors, tend to attract male graduates rather
The gendered implications of the pandemic have than female graduates. All these limitations require
been treated across this report looking mainly at the appropriate social and mindset engineering as well
differential impacts on unemployment, gender dynamics as relevant technical and financial support in order to
within the household including gender-based violence prevent a deterioration of existing gender inequalities in
and the distribution of domestic tasks and the care the labour market.
economy. A summary of the main impacts is provided in
the following explanations:
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 61

The lockdown period also sheds light on the persistence

of gender inequalities in the distribution of power and
authority as well as care and domestic chores in the
household. In particular, the gross abuse of basic human
rights in terms of domestic violence which many women
have suffered during confinement shows that there is still
much progress to be made in society to curb
this scourge.

Children
Another important aspect of this study has been to children witnessing violence between their parents and
examine the experiences of children through the caregivers have increased’17.
episode of lockdown. Confinement has inevitably
affected children in many ways which remain to be The salient features of how children have gone through
thoroughly investigated as a multidisciplinary research COVID have been identified through informant interviews
exercise of its own. As summed up by the Global complemented by secondary data including official
status report on preventing violence against children, statistics and reports. The informant interviews were
‘The COVID-19 pandemic and the physical distancing done with children themselves, primary and secondary
measures imposed in response to it have greatly school teachers, police officials, officials of Resident Care
increased the risk of intra-family violence and online institutions, Government officials and social workers,
abuse. School closures have impacted more than 1.5 while the secondary data statistics and reports included
billion children and youth. Movement restrictions, loss the recently launched Ombudsperson for Children's
of income, isolation, and overcrowding have heightened Office which has a detailed section on its initiatives for
levels of stress and anxiety in parents, caregivers and ensuring that the rights of children are protected during
children, and cut families and individuals off from their the lockdown. The findings of the combined sources of
usual sources of support. Reports of child abuse and of information are as outlined below.

17 – WHO, 2020,p.v5
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 62

Violence against children

According to official sources (MGEFW; Government

37
Information Service [GIS], 2020), there have been
463 cases of child abuse over the period 20 March
to 13 May 2020. The Ministry of Gender Equality and
Family Welfare in collaboration with the Mauritius
Police Force intervened in all reported cases to provide
relevant support and protection to the victims (GIS,
2020). Accordingly, 37 children required placement
into residential care institutions over this period and
Children required placement into residential
COVID-19 testing was carried out prior to their placement.
care institutions and COVID-19 testing was
While more in-depth research is required on issues such
carried out prior to their placement.
as the nature, profile, causes and consequences of
abuse against child-victims, in general, key informants
report that reported cases are generally from families
where there are a host of problems including broken
families, mal adjustment or rebellion of children against Elderly
step-parents and often exacerbated by economic
hardships which have been further compounded by the
Given the lack of quantitative data, specifically on the
impacts of the lockdown as described earlier.
socioeconomic impacts of the lockdown on the elderly,
interviews with opinion leaders and 3 FGDs with
different senior citizens associations in different towns
Children in Residential Care and villages of the island have been conducted in order
Institutions and Youth Centres to obtain an indicative picture. Among the key themes
which emerged was the overall sense of fear of catching
the disease, particularly in the early stages of the
Considerable efforts were also made by all actors, lockdown, as educational and sensitization campaigns
including the Ombudsperson for Children’s Office, emphasised that the elderly were particularly vulnerable
the Ministry of Gender Equality through the Child to COVID-19.
Development Unit, the police through the Brigade pour
la Protection des Mineurs, as well as NGOs in order While socio-economic background determined the level
to ensure that children in situations of conflict with of economic preparedness and ability to cope with the
the law or who are in Residential Care Institutions did effects of lockdown and of getting regular supplies of
not lack material, educational and emotional support necessities, there was an overall consensus that the
during the confinement period. An important challenge efforts made by Government to physically bring the
in the early days of the total lockdown was to obtain old age pensions in the community and even dispense
WAPs for RCI Managers and staff in order to ensure that seasonal flu vaccines at their doorsteps were invaluable
the children were properly attended to. Some RCIs had in limiting their exposure to risks of infection.
some problems to control older children who were not Access to care which is so important for elderly
receptive to the new lockdown arrangements and the dependents has been a major concern during the
sanitary measures. However, with the intervention of the confinement. In some cases, it is reported that
OCO through site visits, these situations were resolved. households who employ elderly-care givers to stay with
chronically ill elderly members in the household have
had to do without their services until the confinement
Children with Disabilities was lifted often not having the required skills and ability
to perform this task. Those elderly people who relied on
support from relatives or kins for access to basic supplies
An important area of concern during confinement
such as gas cylinders or food items on account of limited
pertained to a gap in terms of support for children with
mobility have been particularly helpless during the total
conditions like autism where the effects of confinement
lockdown period. Given that the nuclear family set up is
were particularly harsh. Some representations were
the norm, many elders have faced isolation from their
also made to the Ministry of Education, regarding the
close ones. As one participant argues “The worst for me
exclusion faced by hearing or sight-impaired students
was to be away from my grand-daughter… I used to go to
while most students could assist the educational
her place to drive her to school and back…talking on the
programmes essentially designed for the mainstream.
phone is not the same”.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 63

“”
The worst for me was to be away
from my grand-daughter… I used
However, it was also highlighted that many elderly
people were unable to engage in their usual routine
which disrupted their physical and emotional balance.
For instance, some elderly women in one of the FGDs
mentioned that for years they used to meet for religious
chanting and that attending and cleaning a nearby
to go to her place to drive her to Kovil- temple was a central feature of their lives but
school and back…talking on the the inability to do so left them with a void. For senior
citizens who used to go out for footing or other physical
phone is not the same. activities, again, confinement was a major problem, some
highlighting the concern that during confinement they
struggled to control their medical conditions such as
diabetes and Hypertension.
The elderly people who were not conversant with
technology were particularly excluded from the
There was also a bleak picture for elders, men and
sense of community which social media and social
women who were confronted with chronic health issues.
networking sites provided during these difficult moments.
In addition, there have been reports of abuse from the
Furthermore, it was also a missed opportunity for the
part of their family members as a result of compatibility
elderly to engage in online shopping at their convenience
issues. There have been anecdotal reports of tension
without needing to take risks of leaving the house.
and conflicts over trivial matters as confinement over
such a lengthy period of time-tested relationships,
The FGDs also revealed that many elderly people who
particularly among elderly people and their in-laws,
have smartphones have seen an opportunity to learn
sapping morale and psychology of the elderly.
and maximise the potential and functionalities of these
Another dark side of the picture pertains to the different
devices for being in touch with what is happening. In
categories of elderly people with the oldest old being
particular, elderly people from middle class backgrounds
even more vulnerable and dependent on others for
upwards who tend to be more IT-literate or educated
care and support. More particularly, given that the
have been able to stay connected throughout the
life expectancy of women is higher than of men, there
confinement thus drawing on the benefits which ICTS
have been many elderly widows who have arguably
have – information, entertainment, communication as
been particularly isolated and dependent on others for
well as online transactions.
meeting their practical if not psychological needs.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 64

People living with HIV

and key populations
(Sex workers, men who have sex with
men, people who inject drugs and
transgenders)

Efforts were also made by sector NGOs (PILS, AILES,

Association Kinouété, etc) and Government agencies to
ensure that people living with HIV and key populations
were not deprived of the usual support systems during
confinement.

Interviews with key officials from the above organisations

reveal that in spite of challenges in obtaining Work
Access Permits, there was a strong sense of cooperation
among different NGOs working in this area to liaise
and provide support to this vulnerable group. With the
guidance and assistance of the COVID-Task Force, there
was a continuation in the support services provided.
Apart from food and material support, Methadone
Substitution Therapy and the distribution of medicines
were continued with drug addicts and people on Anti-
Retroviral Treatment.

These initiatives have no doubt helped in limiting the

spread of the disease among this social group while at
the same time exercising a form of social control. It also
shows that no-one was indeed left behind in this fight.

Migrant workers

There is limited data on how the population of migrant

workers have gone through the confinement period and
this warrants a specific study of its own. Migrant workers
have become a quintessential element of the labour
force over the last 20 years. Estimated at 12,100 in 2007,
this figure has reached 48,000 in March 2020 according
to the Ministry of Labour. Garment manufacturing and
Construction are the main employers of foreign labour –

MIGRANT WORKERS IN 2007: 12.100

MIGRANT WORKERS IN 2020: 48.000
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 65

Bangladesh, India, China and Madagascar are the main However, it is also noteworthy that in an interview with
countries from which most of these workers come from. A Trade Union Leaders Reaz Chuttoo and Jane Ragoo
trend which has been noted recently has been a gradual from the CTSP (Confederation Travayere Secteur Prive)
defeminization of the expatriate workforce – women it surfaced that the treatment of foreign labour was
making only 6200 workers compared to 10,000 in 2014. uneven. Complaints received at their office, as well as
their own inquiries, indicate that in some companies
Preliminary data from one FGD with Bangladeshi workers employing Bangladeshi workers, there have been some
employed in construction reveal that during confinement, gross disrespect of these workers’ rights including giving
they spent their time in their dormitories. They received them just a percentage of their salary. According to the
their basic salaries and arrangements for their food CTSP, as compared to (francophone) Malagasy workers
supplies were made by their employers. While they who can read and understand French newspapers
could not send remittances home at the end of the month which are more commonly available locally than English
of March, they could do so towards the end of April newspapers, Bangladeshi workers are not adequately
and May. These remittances are quintessential for the literate and therefore could not interpret what their
survival of their families back home. entitlements were.

From the perspective of the participants in this FGD This has allegedly led to abuse by some unscrupulous
there were no complaints from themselves or their fellow employers. CTSP further adds that the decline in orders
workers in their respective companies. However, they in some factories which employ Bangladeshis and the
argue that they are aware of other companies where limited revenue in terms of overtime which Bangladeshi
due to lack of business, their employers have delayed workers rely on to make both ends meet, explain the need
in giving them their wages. One participant also stated for them to also seek extra work in bakeries, shops or in
that Bangladeshi workers have been told to be cautious domestic work after office hours in the aftermath of the
of taking food items from volunteers during confinement confinement period.
because this has in some occasions been used against
the employers as argument that they were not treating
their employees correctly.
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 66

6
Conclusions
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 67

Mauritius has performed impressively in managing agricultural practices such as community and
the spread and impacts of the pandemic. By rapidly backyard gardening could improve food self-
containing the virus through closing our border and sufficiency especially for the poorest.
implementing a lockdown response, it has prevented
widespread infection, and an overburdened health 4. Promoting the social economy is also vital: While
system. Strong and immediate government relief there are several NGOs, philanthropic organisations
measures have cushioned the economy and enabled and volunteers that provided support and extended
a swift return to normalcy. Overall, the strategy of the outreach work of social services to the most
putting people first through a prompt and multi-pronged needy, there are clear avenues for the development
approach together with the cooperation of the civil of social enterprises, with the twin objectives of
society has also ensured social cohesion. Further, the wealth creation and sustainable development, with
confinement heavily impacted individuals who lost jobs a focus to generate opportunities to SMEs, women,
and business, although the impacts would have been and youth in the supply chain. It is observed that
worse without Government recovery support which has a COVID-19 Solidarity Fund has been set up with
been acknowledged by this report for its effectiveness. objective to assist those affected by the pandemic
and financial support are provided to programmes,
As the country advances its efforts to manage the projects and schemes related to COVID-19 including
impacts of the pandemic, this report recommends social entrepreneurship and associated public
additional reflections in the following areas: health issues.

1. A national contingency or crisis response plan 5. Gender Responsiveness: The response should be
could be formulated in a participatory and gender-responsive while addressing the protection
inclusive manner, with emphasis on the poor of workers, reinforcing social protection measures
and most vulnerable groups, and building on towards the poor and vulnerable, addressing
the experience of the recent pandemic. Better deepening social inequalities and social exclusion.
outreach strategies for the poor in case of another
emergency or crisis, improving access to the 6. To protect households in extreme poverty, it
most needy aid coordination including work and is important to develop a real-time monitoring
movement permits for aid delivery agencies, system that ensures the inclusion of vulnerable
setting up a food bank, facilitating access to people in planning and response. Building
online education for the poorest households and better data is important for better policy advice.
building capacity for women to support their kids’ Multidimensional poverty and poverty mapping
learning, in line with online medical consultations are critical to assist in proper intervention policies
and e-prescriptions are some of the contingency in social protection. Additionally, regular food
planning elements revealed by the study. insecurity evaluations and mapping of real-time
vulnerability are important to monitor changes and
2. The continued efforts to dynamize existing target the most vulnerable households. In the last
economic sectors, especially manufacturing Government budget speech, it was announced
and services, remain crucial. The use of ICT that a National Database for Vulnerable Groups
and digital technologies across sectors is the will be set-up to cover both absolute and relative
momentum to bring new competitive edge to poverty cases. This will help in enhancing policy
the economy. Businesses, especially, SMEs and effectiveness in the fight against poverty.
women entrepreneurs, among others, would require
acceleration in digital transformation. The need to In conclusion, it is important to note that this study
encourage and harness Science Technology and has provided a snapshot over a limited reference
Innovation in areas such as telemedicine, online period. Given the dynamic and evolving nature of this
education, online shopping and innovative delivery phenomenon, more particularly the prevailing second
systems should be further developed. waves in Mauritius’ foreign markets, there is a need for a
close monitoring of the situation and the repercussions
3. The Government should continue with efforts in on the local economy. It is also imperative to frequently
the development of sustainable value chain and monitor the welfare dynamics imposed by the pandemic
smart agriculture models which will eventually to safeguard the population against possible exclusions.
lead to a sustainable and green industry. In this
respect a well-structured training and awareness
programme may be envisaged with time-bound
targets that could involve all strata of society.
While grass root initiatives are important, innovative
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 68

Annex 1: Economic Indicators and baseline for 2019

Macroeconomic indicators

Economic indicators 2017 2018 2019

GDP at market prices

457201 481255 498274
(RsM)1

Real annual growth rate of

3.8 3.8 3
GDP (%)1

GDFCF (RsM)1 79499 90242 99643

Real annual growth rate of

4.7 10.9 8.2
GDFCF (%)1

Rate of inflation (%)1 3.7 3.2 0.5

Per capita GDP at current

361534 380344 397429
market prices1

Per capita GDP growth

3.7 3.7 3.0
constant prices2

Current Account Balance

-4.6 -3.9 -5.4
(% of GDP)

Source: 1Digest of National Accounts (Statistics Mauritius, various issues), 2World Bank Indicators (World Bank)

Employment trends 2017-2019

Employment trends 2017 2018 2019

Labour force (‘000) 615.3 613.2 621.7

Employment (‘000) 573.5 573.1 582

Unemployment rate (%) 7.1 6.9 6.7

Youth unemployment (16 - 24 years)

19.3 19.7 17.1
(‘000)

Source: Digest of Labour Statistics (Statistics Mauritius, various issues)

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 69

Contribution of economic sectors to GDP 2010-2019

Economic sectors 2017 2018 2019

Agriculture, forestry and fishing 3.5 3.2 3.3

Sugarcane 0.6 0.4 0.4

Other 2.9 2.7 2.9

Mining and quarrying 0.2 0.2 0.2

Manufacturing 13.4 12.9 12.6

Sugar 0.1 0.1 0.1

Food exc Sugar 4.8 4.6 4.5

Textiles 3.9 3.6 3.4

Other 4.6 4.6 4.5

Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 1.7 1.7 1.6

Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 0.4 0.4 0.4

Construction 4.3 4.7 5.0

Wholesale & retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 12.2 12.4 12.5

Transportation and storage 6.4 6.4 6.6

Accommodation and food service activities 7.2 7.3 6.9

Information and communication 4.2 4.2 4.3

Financial and insurance activities 12.0 11.7 11.8

Real estate activities 5.9 5.9 5.9

Professional, scientific and technical activities 4.9 5.0 5.1

Administrative and support service activities 3.0 3.1 3.2

Public administration and defence; compulsory social security 6.3 6.2 6.2

Education 4.9 4.9 4.7

Human health and social work activities 4.4 4.5 4.6

Arts, entertainment and recreation 3.5 3.7 3.7

Other service activities 1.6 1.6 1.6

Gross Value Added at current basic prices 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: Digest of National Accounts (Statistics Mauritius, various issues),

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 70

Annex 2: Input-Output Model

Output and employment multiplier – an input-output approach
Suppose xi represents the output of industry i, which can either be sold to consumers as final consumption, or be
used as ‘intermediate inputs’ to produce other products or services. The proportion which is consumed by consumers
is called ‘final demand’ and, for simplicity, it is denoted by Yi. There are also a number of industries which will use
xi as inputs in their production. The part which is consumed by a particular industry, industry 1 (or which is sold to
industry 1) may be represented by Xi1; similarly industry 2 will use Xi2, and industry ‘n’ will consume Xin. Hence, in
mathematical terms, industry i output is consumed as follows:

Xi= Xi1 + Xi2 + ... + Xin + Yi (1)

This can be written as follows:

n
Xi= Σxij + Yi (2)
j=1

Each industry ( j=1...n) which uses xi as input is assumed to employ a production technology such that the quantity
consumed, xij , is proportional to that industry ‘s output17, x j , with a technological coefficient axj . This can be written
as:

Xij= aij xj (3)

Hence, replacing (3) in (2), we have

n
Xi= Σaij xj+ Yi (4)
j=1
Equation 4 is an economy-wide production system involving n number of industries. When there is a rise in demand
for a product in a industry, output in that industry will rise. This is called the ‘direct effect’. It also leads to a rise in
demand in inputs used in its production; this in turn, leads to an increase in demand for output in other industries
which will generate successive round rises in demand for other products and employment, creating a multiplier effect
of input and output requirements. This is referred to as the ‘indirect effect’. Equation 4 can be used to estimate the
output and employment multiplier effect. Using matrix terminology, equation (4) can be written as:

x=Ax+y (5)
a11 a12 ... a1n x1 y1
a21 a22 ... a2n x2 y2
if A is the technological matrix such as x= and y=
... . .
an1 an2 ... ann xn yn

then Equation (5) can be rearranged as follows:

x=(1-A)-1y (6)

The elements of (1-A)-1 provides the direct and indirect effects on output from a unit change in sectoral final demand
in a particular sector. Based on equation (8), the output impact analysis can be calculated:

∆ x=(1-A)-1 ∆ y (7)

The direct and indirect change in employment potential due to a unit change in a sectoral final demand would be L is
vector of employment coefficients. Given by:

∆ e=L(1-A)-1 ∆ y (8)

L is vector of employment coefficients

18 – This type of production technology assumes ‘constant returns to scale’ Source: The materials are based on Miller, R., Blair, P. (2009)
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 71

Annex 3: Survey method and statistics

Geographical location of the respondents

Port Louis

Employment status National Households Survey

1% Full time
(permanent contract)
38%
Student / child
6%
3% Unemployed

Retired
13%
Part time jobs

Self employed
13% 26%
Family workers
The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 72

Annex 4 : Bibliography
[1] http://budget.mof.govmu.org/budget2020-21/2020_21budgetspeechEng.pdf

[2] GIS (2020). Government Information System. http://www.govmu.org/English/News/Pages/COVID-19-Mauritius-to-lift-

curfew-on-30-May-2020,-at-midnight,-says-PM.aspx.

[3] Statistics Mauritius 2020a. Economic and Social Indicators. https://statsmauritius.govmu.org/SitePages/Index.aspx

[4] World Bank 2020. Poverty, Equity & Equity and Macroeconomics, Trade & Investment Global Practices. Current
Account Balance (% of GDP) -17.1% for 2020, -8.8% for 2021, -6.2% for 2022.

[5] IMF 2020. Work Economic Outlook, A long and difficult Ascent. October International Monetary Fund,
Washington DC.https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2020/09/30/world-economic-outlook-october-
2020#Statistical%20Appendix
The forecast for current account balance is -12.7 for 2020, -10.7% for 2021 and -4.9 for 2025.

[6] World Bank Statistics Mauritius 2020. Monitoring the Socio-Economic Effects of COVID-19 on Mauritian
Households, Based on the 1st Round of the Rapid Continuous Multi-Purpose Household Survey (RCMPHS – May
2020).

[7] The Household Budget Survey (2017) shows that food and beverages, housing, water, electricity, gas and fuels,
and health-related expenditure amounts to 52% of household consumption expenditure on a monthly basis. Using
this allocation, the assessment assumes that the Wage Assistance Scheme and the Self-Employed Assistance
Scheme are mainly spent on these items with the following percentages: 71.1% on food and beverages, 21.5%
on housing, electricity, water, gas and fuels and 7.4% on health-related items. Food and beverages are further
allocated to farming, processed foods, and wholesale and retail trade.

[8] Digest of Industrial Statistics

[9] Figures are deflated using Consumer Price Index using December 2019 as the base.

[10] Statistics Mauritius, Oct 2019

[11] Digest of External Trade, Statistics Mauritius.

[12] IMF World Economic Outlook June 2020, and the World Bank

[13] World Bank

[14] This corresponds to SITC section 6 Manufacturing goods classified by materials and section 8 Miscellaneous
manufacturing articles

[15] Digest of International Travel and Tourism

[16] Statistics Mauritius 2018. Tourism Satellite Account.

[17] The total number stands at 883

[18] The total number stands at 46

[19]https://statsmauritius.govmu.org/Documents/Statistics/ESI/2020/EI1553/RCMPHS_May-July%2020.pdf

[20] Ibid.

[21] 95% confidence interval: ±1.81

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius 73

[22] Australian Government Looking after your mental health during coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. https://www.
health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/ongoing-support-during-coronavirus-
COVID-19/looking-after-your-mental-health-during-coronavirus-COVID-19-restrictions.

[23] Ahmed et al. 2020. Impacts of the societal response to COVID-19 on access to healthcare for non-COVID-19
health issues in slum communities of Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan: results of pre COVID and COVID-19
lockdown stakeholder engagements. BMJ Global Health, vol. 5, no. 8, pp.1-17.

[24] WHO COVID-19 significantly impacts health services for noncommunicable diseases https://www.who.int/news/
item/01-06-2020-COVID-19-significantly-impacts-health-services-for-noncommunicable-diseases.

[25] The Chi2 statistics is 0.29 with prob. of 0.59; being statistically not significant, the null hypothesis (no relationship)
is not rejected.

[26] The Chi2 statistics is 12.9 with prob. of 0.00; being statistically significant, the null hypothesis (no relationship) is
rejected.

[27] Tasnim, S., Mazumder, H., Hossain, M. M. 2020. Impact of rumors or misinformation on coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) in social media. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health 53(3):1-5.

[28] Zhang, L., Li, H., Chen, K. 2020. Effective Risk Communication for Public Health Emergency: Reflection on the
COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) outbreak in Wuhan, China. Healthcare MDPI, vol. 8 (64); doi:10.3390/healthcare8010064.

[29] Yasir, A., Hu, X., Ahmad, M., Rauf, A., Shi, J., and Nasir, S. A. Modeling Impact of Word of Mouth and E-Government
on Online Social Presence during COVID-19 Outbreak: A Multi-Mediation Approach. International Journal of
Environmental Research and Public Health. Vol. 17, no. 2954, pp. 1-21.

[30] Logit regression

Receive Wage -2.14 - 0.03 Monthly Income + 0.57 (Household Size) + 0.87 (Private
Assistance (0.368) (0.010)*** (0.093)*** employment)
0.035***

Pseudo R2=0.12, n=412; LR chi square 57.03

[31] WHO, 2020,p.v5

[32] http://budget.mof.govmu.org/budget2020-21/2020_21budgetspeechEng.pdf

[33] This type of production technology assumes ‘constant returns to scale’.

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment
of COVID-19 in Mauritius