COVID-19 does not discriminate on the basis of geography, economic status, ethnicity, religious belief, or political ideology. Considering this fact, the Government of Ethiopia has taken various measures to combat the spread of the virus, as well as alleviate the social and economic consequences of the measures, including declaring a State of Emergency and introducing various economic and social policies. Country specific and international studies of past pandemics have highlighted inequity in terms of the impact of the pandemic and the response to the pandemic, among different socioeconomic, cultural and other groups. Hence, the aim of this case study is to systematically analyse how Ethiopia’s national and regional governments and other stakeholders have taken equity into account in their policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The main research question is: To what extent have the policy responses measures to combat COVID-19 in Ethiopia taken equity into consideration?