SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF COVID-19 IN FIJI FULL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS JULY 202 0 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms .................................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 7 Pillar 1: Health First – Protecting Health Services and Systems during the Crisis .............. 9 1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Approach ......................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Findings ......................................................................................................................... 10 Overview of Fiji’s health systems ........................................................................................................ 10 Health system COVID-19 preparedness and response ..................................................................... 13 Impact of COVID-19 on health financing ............................................................................................ 17 Impact of COVID-19 on service delivery and access to care ............................................................. 20 Scenario analysis of impact of COVID-19 in Fiji ................................................................................. 25 1.4 Policy options and recommendations ......................................................................... 30 Health financing .................................................................................................................................. 30 Service delivery and access to care ................................................................................................... 30 PILLAR 2: Protecting People – Social Protection and Basic Services ................................ 31 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 31 2.2 Approach ....................................................................................................................... 31 2.3 Findings ......................................................................................................................... 37 Poverty ................................................................................................................................................ 37 Health and access to healthcare services .......................................................................................... 39 Education ............................................................................................................................................ 42 Nutrition and food security .................................................................................................................. 43 Water, sanitation and hygiene ............................................................................................................ 45 Gender-based violence and violence against children ....................................................................... 47 Child labour and exploitation............................................................................................................... 48 Childcare and parenting ...................................................................................................................... 49 Mental health and psychosocial support ............................................................................................. 50 The urban poor and informal settlements ........................................................................................... 51 2.4 Policy options and recommendations ......................................................................... 51 Recommendations .............................................................................................................................. 51 Policy options: extending coverage of social protection programs ..................................................... 54 Impact on poverty ............................................................................................................................... 57 Impact on health outcomes ................................................................................................................. 59 Impact on education outcomes ........................................................................................................... 59 Impact on nutrition outcomes .............................................................................................................. 60 2 PILLAR 3: Economic Response and Recovery – Protecting Jobs, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, and Informal Sector Workers ............................................................................ 61 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 61 Pre-COVID-19 situation in Fiji (labour, tourism and the informal sector) ........................................... 61 Overview of immediate impacts in the tourism sector, labour markets and for unemployment ......... 68 ILO Policy Framework ......................................................................................................................... 69 3.2 Approach ....................................................................................................................... 73 3.3 Findings ......................................................................................................................... 75 Total businesses surveyed and overview of results ........................................................................... 75 Formal sector (FCEF survey).............................................................................................................. 77 Informal sector .................................................................................................................................... 78 Increase in informal economy bulge – the human factor impacting real people and livelihoods ....... 78 Emerging opportunities (gig, blue and circular economies) ................................................................ 80 Impact on employment by division, district and gender ...................................................................... 82 Key findings of the FTUC survey of 2,123 workers/members ............................................................ 83 4.3 Policy options and recommendations ......................................................................... 85 Stimulating economy and employment ............................................................................................... 86 Supporting enterprises, jobs and incomes .......................................................................................... 88 Protecting workers in the workplace ................................................................................................... 90 Relying on social dialogue for solutions .............................................................................................. 91 PILLAR 4: Macroeconomic Impacts and Policy Recommendations ................................... 93 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 93 Evaporation of tourism ........................................................................................................................ 96 4.2 Findings ......................................................................................................................... 97 Direct and indirect impacts.................................................................................................................. 97 Key risks and policy challenges .......................................................................................................... 98 4.3 Policy options and recommendations ......................................................................... 98 Health and social .............................................................................................................................. 100 Economic .......................................................................................................................................... 101 Environmental ................................................................................................................................... 102 PILLAR 5: Social Cohesion and Community Resilience .................................................... 103 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 103 5.2 Findings ....................................................................................................................... 103 Governance, structural vulnerabilities and inequalities .................................................................... 103 Social cohesion, cultural participation and community resilience ..................................................... 105 Cultural institutions, livelihoods and employment ............................................................................. 107 5.3 Policy options and recommendations ......................................................................