Beyond the Covid-19 Lockdown

The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown have a direct link to societal health and even the survival of many; however, this impact goes beyond the immediate risks. Profound effects are and will be felt on core socioeconomic issues. In the following 8 articles, a group of authors from different backgrounds tackle a variety of topics from different angles.

A quick breakdown of the articles includes: how the public health sector made use of the crisis to expand its capabilities; the rise of community initiatives in response to the needs of the population amid the relative absence of governmental support; the aggravated structural barriers and violence against sexual minorities during the crisis; community policing as an entry point to improve the damaged relationship between the population and security forces; the adaptation of the protest movement to the lockdown and health precautions; the importance of class-based organizing for future socioeconomic reforms; a legal analysis of workers’ contractual rights during the pandemic; and the scenarios of the expected fallout of the economic and Covid-19 crises.

In an attempt to shape the public discussion on the addressed topics, a set of practical recommendations are issued in each of these articles:

Localized Actors Lead Lebanon’s Socioeconomic Response to COVID-19

Reflections on the Potential Socioeconomic Fallout of COVID-19 on Lebanon’s Stability

The impact of COVID-19 on the revolutionary movement in Lebanon

Capitalizing on the Pandemic: Party Responses & the Need for Grassroots Organizing

On Post-Hoc Policies in Conflict: Lebanon’s Health Sector Revives Itself amid Political, Demographic and Economic Constraints

Impact of COVID-19 on Contractual Obligations in Individual Employment Contracts (Arabic Version included)

Queers in Quarantine: Between Pandemics and Social Violence in Lebanon

Repurposing the Northern Ireland Experience: Contributing to a Just, Sustainable and Economically Resilient Lebanon Through Community Policing