COVID in the Islands: A comparative perspective on the Caribbean and the Pacific

This book provides the first wide-ranging account of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in two contrasting island regions - the Caribbean and the Pacific - and in several islands and island states. It traces the complexity of effects and responses, at different scales, through the first critical year. Written by a range of scholars and practitioners working in the region the book focuses on six key themes: public health; the economies (notably the collapse of tourism, the revival of local agriculture and fishing, and the rebirth of self-reliance, and even barter); the rescue by remittances; social tensions and responses; public policy; and future ‘bubbles’ and regional connections. Even with marine borders that excluded the virus all island states were affected by COVID-19 because of a considerable dependence on tourism – prompting urgent challenges for governance, economic management and development, as small states sought to balance lives against livelihoods in search of revitalisation or even a ‘new normal’.
Yonique Campbell received a DPhil (PhD) from the University of Oxford and is a Senior  Lecturer in Public Policy & Management in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies, Mona. She also serves as a policy advisor to the Minister of Health and Wellness (Government of Jamaica).

John Connell is Professor of Geography in the School of Geosciences, University of Sydney. He works mainly on small island development issues in the Pacific region and has published several books on migration and colonialism.