Abstract
The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be forgotten quickly. Its suddenness and traumatic impact leave enormous challenges in welfare provision and induced provocative social policies. Global health crises have profound implications for social, economic and political affairs, affecting human connectivity and increasing vulnerability within families, homes, and societies. There were lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing for individuals, families, businesses and communities. All of these contributed to job losses; failed businesses; a restriction on global mobility; an increase in inactivity, gender violence, homelessness; severe health, mental, and wellbeing impacts; and a sudden paradigm shift. An estimated rise in global unemployment of up to 13% by the International Labour Organization (ILO1, 2020) implicates reduced productivity but increased welfare expenditure. The COVID-19 pandemic left families under tremendous pressure, with real implications for welfare and social work practice. Some discuss challenges to the state, the market and the wider community to rethink and reimagine their post-COVID-19 social welfare approaches. Multidimensional, multicultural and all-inclusive post-pandemic approaches are needed – better managed in short-, medium- and long-term waves – to allow for procurement of resources (economic growth for welfare spending), and research evidence. Governments and societies can pay more attention to the emerging inequities during COVID-19 pandemic, and for countries to concentrate on pressing needs such as the reduction of stress, vulnerability and shifting of risks for citizens, while negotiating the high levels of uncertainty, the inevitability of risk of the recovery being slow and uneven.