Approximately 77.4% of households in Ghana experienced a decrease in income since March 16 this year when COVID-19 restrictions were introduced, the Ghana Statistical Service has revealed.

The numbers meant that approximately 22 million Ghanaians are affected by reduced household income.

The GSS in a research report titled ‘Brief on COVID-19 Households and Jobs Tracker – Wave 1,’ also revealed that 82.8% of households who reported non-farm family business (36.1%) as an income source said they experienced a decrease in income since March 16, 2020.

According to the GSS, there was general public anxiety, as 93.1% of households reported being worried about the effects of COVID-19 and 77.4% of households reported to be severely affected by increase in prices of food.”

To cope with the effects of COVID-19, more than half (52.1%) of households reduced food consumption as 27.0% of children scheduled for a vaccination since March 16, missed it due to COVID-19 related reasons, the report noted.

Adding to the data, school closure was considered among the main disruptions to households, but 96.6% of children are likely to return once schools reopen with 35.0% of basic school children and 28.0% of SHS were not engaged in any form of learning while they were at home.

“The biggest challenge faced by children for home learning is access to basic tools such as computers or phones; 25.6% for basic school children and 32.7% for SHS children.”

The report further added that over half (57.4%) of children 6-14 years on school feeding programmes (29.9%) still received these meals after schools closed.

The GSS said from June 10 to June 25, 2020, it collected data in a nationally representative telephone survey to gauge the effects of COVID-19 on households and jobs in Ghana.