Coronavirus could push half a billion people into poverty, Oxfam warns

Nearly half of all jobs in Africa could be lost without urgent action, says charity

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More than half a billion more people could be pushed into poverty unless urgent action is taken to bail out poor countries affected by the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, Oxfam has warned.

Ahead of three key international meetings next week, the charity said the impact of shutting down economies to prevent the virus spreading risked setting back the fight against poverty by a decade globally - and by 30 years in the hardest-pressed countries of sub-Saharan Africa, north Africa and the Middle East.

For poor people in poor countries who are already struggling to survive, there are almost no safety nets