COVID-19 AND SOCIAL WORK: A COLLECTION OF COUNTRY REPORTS Edited by Lena Dominelli, Timo Harrikari, Joseph Mooney, Vesna Leskošek and Erin Kennedy Tsunoda Contributors are members of the COVID-19 Social Work Research Forum July 2020 ii Disclaimer This compilation of Country Reports of the COVID-19 pandemic provides a snapshot of the situation in particular countries at a moment in time. It has not been peer reviewed, although it was edited several times to clarify the usage of the English language which is not the first language of a number of the authors, and to ensure uniformity of style and referencing. The authors of each Country Report are wholly responsible for the content and accuracy of the data and views expressed therein. Thus, neither IASSW nor the editors, individually or collectively are accountable for their work. The editors and IASSW are simply facilitating access to people’s country narratives. Sharing Information This document should be easy to use and provide comparable information which we trust will be useful for research purposes in social work around the world. The contributors to this first edition of the collection are members of the COVID-19 Social Work Research Forum. However, not all members of the Forum have contributed to it in the short timeframe we had available. We would urge those who would like to contribute their country report to contact Lena Dominelli at [email protected] and she will facilitate access to the contributions already on the IASSW website. Future intention There is an intention to turn this collection into a book at some point in the near future, but we felt it was important to record the positions of various countries now, briefly and quickly. This collection represents but a moment in the COVID-19 history of some countries. The Editors July 2020 iii COVID-19 AND SOCIAL WORK: I A COLLECTION OF COUNTRY REPORTS I References 6 ALBANIA 7 Country context: Key facts and figures 7 Societal measures addressing the social consequences of Covid-19 8 Social services responses 11 Social work responses 12 References 12 AUSTRALIA 14 Country context: Key facts and figures 14 Societal measures addressing the social consequences of COVID-19 15 Social work responses 19 References 21 BANGLADESH 24 Country context: Key facts and figures 24 Societal measures undertaken related to COVID-19 26 Social welfare services being offered 28 Social work responses 29 References 30 ESTONIA 33 Country Context: Key facts and figures 33 Societal measures addressing the social consequences of COVID-19 34 Social services responses 36 Social work responses 37 References 39 FINLAND 40 Country context: Key facts and figures 40 Societal measures addressing the social consequences of COVID-19 41 Social services response 42 Social work responses 43 References 44 INDIA 45 Country Contexts: Key facts and figures 45 Societal measures addressing the social consequences of COVID-19 46 Social services responses 53 Social work responses 54 References 59 IRAN 62 Country context: Key facts and figures 62 Societal measures addressing the social consequences of COVID-19 63 Social services responses 63 Social work responses 64 References 65 IRELAND 68 Country context: Key facts and figures 68 Societal measures addressing social consequences of COVID-19 69 Social services responses 72 Social work responses 72 iv References 76 ITALY 78 Country context: Key facts and figures 78 Societal measures addressing social consequences of COVID-19 78 Social services and social work responses 79 References 81 JAPAN 82 Country context: Key facts and figures 82 Societal measures addressing the social consequences of COVID-19 84 Social services responses 87 Social work responses 89 References 90 Appendix One: Japan 92 LATVIA 93 Community context: Key facts and figures 93 Societal measures addressing social consequences of COVID-19 94 Social services responses 95 Social work responses 96 References 98 SLOVENIA 100 Country context: Key facts and figures 100 Societal measures addressing social consequences of COVID-19 101 Social services responses 105 Social work responses 107 References 109 SPAIN 111 Country context: Key facts and figures 111 Societal measures addressing social consequences of COVID-19 113 Social services responses 118 Social work responses 119 References 122 SRI LANKA 124 Country context: Key facts and figures 124 Societal measures addressing social consequences of COVID-19 126 Social services responses 127 Social work responses 128 References 130 SWEDEN 131 Country context: Key facts and figures 131 Societal measures addressing the social consequences of COVID-19 132 Social services responses 133 Social work responses 134 References 136 THE UNITED KINGDOM 137 Country context: Key facts and figures 137 Societal measures for addressing social consequences of COVID-19 138 Social services responses 140 Social work education 141 Concluding comments 142 References 142 v CONCLUSIONS 144 References 147 INTRODUCTION: COVID-19: A NEW CHALLENGE FOR SOCIAL WORK Joseph Mooney, Timo Harrikari and Lena Dominelli Human civilization has experienced many significant global health emergencies in recent history. From the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 to the Ebola virus, and from SARS and H1N1 to our current coronavirus one. Each has challenged and tested our governments, communities, families and individuals alike. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), commonly referred to as ‘COVID-19’, came to the world’s attention in December 2019 when a cluster of individuals, presenting with unusual pneumonia-like symptoms, were identified. At the time, the aetiology of these symptoms was unidentified. This cluster was linked to a live fish and animal market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province in China. Following the closure of this market on 1 January 2020 and subsequent testing, traces of what became known as COVID-19 were confirmed across the planet (European Centre for Disease Control 2020). Since then, global agencies and national governments across the world have grappled to monitor the spread of the coronavirus and implement protective measures. By 5 July 2020, the virus had exacted an enormous human toll with 10,410,447 cases confirmed globally and 534,164 COVID-19 related deaths (World Health Organisation, 2020). Some countries and regions have been particularly hard hit. This is influenced by many variables including when the first cases emerged and the state of knowledge at the time, government responses, available resources, and community adherence to implemented restrictions and safety measures, to name a few. The pandemic and our local and global responses to it have significantly impacted our way of life, how we interact with each other and our environment, and how we help and care for those most vulnerable on the margins of our societies. In many countries, workplaces, schools, and universities have closed and mass gatherings have been postponed or cancelled. Alongside such measures, public health advice has placed significant emphasis on hand hygiene, cough-etiquette, physical distancing, and self-isolation when necessary, to stop or slow the spread of the coronavirus. Many countries have experienced high rates of unemployment in combination with shifts to remote, home-based and digitalized forms of work and governance. Varying degrees of state, legal and police enforcement of regulations have been implemented ranging from emergency powers of legislation in some jurisdictions to a reliance on individual social responsibility in others. At the time of this writing at the beginning of July 2020, different parts of the world have been living with the COVID-19 crisis for varying periods of time. The viral pandemic that started quickly in December 2019, spread worldwide and shook the whole world. At this point, it seems that the first wave of the pandemic has weakened in Western Europe and parts of Asia, especially in South Korea and Taiwan. In Western Europe, the number of coronavirus deaths in the United Kingdom and Sweden, have continued to be sources of concern. The highest relative mortality rates are found in Belgium, Sweden, the United Kingdom and France. Moreover, the countries with the highest mortality rates in the early stages of the pandemic, Spain and Italy, have subsequently evidenced a sharp decline in mortality rates. In recent weeks, European nation-states have begun to loosen the strict regulations associated with the ‘lockdown’ intended to protect their populations and health services from the ravages of COVID-19. Additionally, the advent of substantial 2 numbers of new infections has shifted to other continents. From the end of June 2020, the number of deaths from infections and deaths caused by the coronavirus has risen in such countries as the United States, Brazil, Russia, India, Iran and Mexico. In China, which experienced the first impact of the pandemic, only a few new infections have been detected, and no new deaths have been reported recently. Complexity theory defines the concept of the ‘black swan’ as a series of unpredictable events that have the potential for a wide-ranging impact and far-reaching implications (Taleb 2010). Some argue that the coronavirus pandemic seems like a ‘black swan’, possessing emergent powers and powerful bio-physiologic-psychological mechanisms that cause wide-ranging societal crises. We may speak of a drastic breakdown of social systems, in which both the operative principles of the systems and the ways in which people meet and interact have been fundamentally undermined. The socio-ecological ‘fabric’ considers local and regional factors such as age, structure, population density, economic structure and settings of the interactions between people to see how they enable and restrain the effects of a pandemic. However, it remains to be seen how fundamentally the pandemic will change the socio- ecological fabric of human communities and societies in the longer run. This is particularly crucial to how societies organise themselves; how social institutions work and how people behave and act in everyday settings (see Putnam 2000); and how they interact with each other globally (Dominelli, 2020).