South Africa Covid-19 country report: first edition

This chapter provides an overview summary of the first edition of South Africa's Covid-19 Country Report. It includes the background to the report, the rationale for undertaking the initiative, the methodology adopted, and key stakeholders involved in producing the report. For each chapter, a summary of the focus area is provided, along with a high-level reflection of the lessons learnt. The chapter concludes with recommendations across the different thematic areas. The report covers the first two waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, from March 2020 to March 2021. The thematic focus areas in the report are: leadership, governance, and institutional arrangements; legal and regulatory responses; legal challenges, human rights violations, and law enforcement; communication; the health sector; the education sector; the impact on vulnerable groups; gender equality; macroeconomic impact and policy; agriculture and the food supply chain; transport; the tourism and leisure sectors; selected other economic sectors; infrastructure; international cooperation and trade; civil society responses; and case studies on local and provincial government.