The length of time that households and businesses take to recover from Covid-19 once restrictions lift will largely depend on where people live in the UK and the type of jobs that the sufferers undertake, a study published on Friday suggests.
Areas of higher deprivation have fared worse during the pandemic and are at significant risk of poorer recovery outcomes because of financial insecurity and a reliance on coronavirus support measures, researchers from the University of Sheffield found.
People employed in sectors most affected by social restrictions, such as retail and hospitality, also experienced larger losses in hours worked.
The researchers’ assessment of household and business recovery risks at a neighbourhood level revealed that there were significant inequalities even within local authorities for some areas of the UK.
It is these parts of the country, they say, that need targeted interventions to try to prevent the pandemic from further widening the gap between the rich and the poor.
The team has created the Covid-19 Places Economic Recovery Index (CoPERI) dashboard to help local authorities collect data about their neighbourhoods and identify areas most at risk.
Dr Jesse Matheson, a CoPERI study co-author from the Department of Economics, said that so far policy had overlooked the variation in impact, “running the risk of failing to identify those at risk of hardship.”
Covid recovery risk: business
For small and medium enterprises, the risk is characterised by an increase in debt, the effects of home working — called “zoomshock” after the now widely used video conferencing software — causing a reduction in demand for goods and services as well as the loss of workers where these businesses dominate.
The top 10 areas where SMEs are most exposed to recovery risk are all in London. Canary Wharf in Tower Hamlets; the City of London area; and Old Street and St Luke's, Islington, are the three with the highest risk in the UK.
Outside the capital, unsurprisingly, threats to businesses are mainly concentrated in towns and cities, with north-east England a risk hotspot.
Covid recovery risk: households
Nationally, three areas around Blackpool are in the top 10 most exposed to household recovery risk: South Promenade and Seasiders West Blackpool, Central Blackpool and North Shore Blackpool.
Within the South Yorkshire region there are numerous areas with a high level of household risk. These include Rotherham Central, Central Doncaster, Masbrough and Bradgate in Rotherham, and Batemoor and Jordanthorpe in Sheffield.
According to Dr Enrico Vanino, a co-author of the study, the South Yorkshire region in particular is likely to face some unique challenges.
This, he said, could create a “problematic feedback loop”, slowing the economic recovery. “As households struggle financially, local businesses will experience shrinking demand and, in turn, not be effectively supported in their recovery without intervention...
“Different neighbourhoods will have different needs and recovery times, depending on household and business structures in those areas,” Dr Vanino added, “so the dashboard will help policymakers approach recovery from the pandemic in a place-based way, by targeting households, small businesses, or both, to ensure a truly inclusive post-pandemic economic recovery.”
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Sector: e-learning
Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019
Investors: Friends and family
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Always use only regulated platforms
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
