Abou Alaa’, a taxi driver, pointed at his car parked outside his modest home in a poor Baghdad neighbourhood and sighed: “It has been sitting there for weeks. I cannot operate it under the lockdown.”
Since Iraq imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 15 to contain the spread of the coronavirus, a large number of informal workers, like Alaa’, have been deprived of their only source of income.
“I did not expect this crisis to last that long. All my small savings are gone and it has become very hard to bring food to the table, especially with the extension of the curfew,” said Alaa’, 55, a father of seven.
“On top of procuring daily needs, the biggest worry is to secure the rent of the house in which we are living. The government’s decision to impose a curfew did not take into consideration the fallout on poor families who have no steady income,” he added.
Before the coronavirus crisis, Alaa’ used to make $25-$35 a day, barely enough to feed his large family and pay the rent.
In a square in Baghdad’s al-Ghazaliya neighbourhood, a group of informal labourers waited for someone to hire them — to no avail.
“For the past 10 days we’ve been standing here hoping to grab some kind of work. We depend on daily wages to make a living, but nothing has come up since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Maher Ahmad, 25, a construction worker.
Pointing to a pamphlet calling on Iraqi citizens to respect safety measures related to the virus, Ahmad said: “We cannot feel safe and secure when we are unable to provide for the basic needs of our families. We are trapped. It is very scary as we do not know when this nightmare will be over.”
“While circumstances are turning against us, the government is impotent and incapable of finding solutions to help us survive,” said another informal worker who preferred not to be identified.
Removing a veil that covered his face to show traces of burns he sustained while fighting against the Islamic State jihadists, he said: “That’s what I got from contributing in the liberation from ISIS. No compensation or recognition from the government. And here I am struggling to make a living and I have no money to protect myself from the virus.”
Iraq has a large population of informal workers who are the least likely to receive aid or healthcare from the government or heed calls to stay at home.
The country’s systemic weaknesses resulting from decades of conflicts, sanctions and mismanagement place it in an unfavourable economic position to fight COVID-19.
The government, which is largely reliant on oil revenues, fears its budget will be eroded by falling oil prices. Moreover, the southern regions, home for the holiest Shia shrines, depend largely on religious tourism that has come to a halt.
Abdul Zahra al-Hindawi, spokesperson of the Iraqi Ministry of Planning, said the government has devised “emergency plans” to assist the most disadvantaged families.
“While public health remains the government’s top priority, funds were allocated to procure additional food parcels for those who hold food ration cards,” Hindawi said.
“The virus crisis erupted so suddenly, but the government is keen on containing the consequences on the most needy population for the sake of public safety,” he added.
The Iraqi government has extended the lockdown until April 19 to contain the virus, which, according to official counts, has infected 1,434 people and claimed 80 lives so far.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated Iraq’s economic crisis, but Yasser Ghanem, a barber who was forced to close his shop, found a way around the lockdown to sustain his income.
“My situation is better than many people because I can deliver my services to clients at home. They book appointments and accordingly I plan my daily rounds,” Ghanem said.
Tapping on a small hand wallet, he said: “I have everything I need in here. In that way I am able to provide for the needs of my family and help as much as possible needy friends and relatives.”
By
Oumayma Omar
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