The report shows that the human cost of COVID-19 could be high. The population living below the national poverty line is expected to increase from 55.5 percent in 2019 to 68.9 percent, which means that an additional 526,000 Liberians are at risk of falling into poverty. The authors also warn that economic growth could further slowdown if government’s policy response is delayed, not well-targeted, or if the external environment does not improve significantly this year.

The Government of Liberia, in collaboration with its national and international partners, has led interventions to contain the spread of COVID-19. While the virus is posing multitudes of challenges to Liberia’s peace and security and undermining social cohesion, it has also provided opportunities to work collectively to address the conflict factors left unresolved by the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), including attending to some of the root causes of the conflict.

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Overall, community knowledge on COVID-19 and access to basic sanitary materials are gradually increasing, with several civil society and community-based organisations carrying out awareness campaigns and the distribution of sanitary materials to empower the resilience of communities against the pandemic.