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

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.

“COVID in the Islands showcases the successes and challenges SIDS have experienced during the global pandemic while highlighting the resilience and perseverance of Caribbean and Pacific peoples. With its thorough and unique discourse, this book will provide invaluable knowledge and prove a reference for governments, academics, and laypeople looking to better understand COVID-19 or prepare for future pandemics.” (Sarah McLean-Orsborn, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 97 (3), September, 2024)

• Introduction: COVID-19 and Small Island States.- Public Health and Political Imperatives: Balancing Lives, Livelihoods, and Democracy in Jamaica’s COVID-19 Experience.- COVID-19 in Pacific Islands People of Aotearoa/New Zealand: Communities Taking Control.- Coronavirus and CARICOM: The Benefit of a Regional University in a Coherent Pandemic Response.- Caribbean Economies and COVID-19: Impact and Prospects for 2021 and beyond.- Did French Polynesia cope with COVID-19? Intrinsic Vulnerabilities and Decreased Resilience.- A Magnifying Glass for Local Political and Economic Issues.- Double Jeopardy: Distance and Decentralisation in Tuvalu.- Learning from the Past? Sovereign Space and Recreating Self-Reliance in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia.- Healthcare Denied? COVID-19 and Kiribati's Shrinking Transnational Space.- Small and Isolated Vava’u, Tonga: From Weakness to Strength during COVID-19?.- Tourism Policy Within a Pandemic: The Case of Bahamas.- An Industry in Crisis: How Vanuatu’s Tourism sector is Building for Economic Recovery.- Vaccination for Vacation: Assessing the Resilience of the Jamaican Hospitality Industry in a Pandemic.- Tourism in a World of Disorder: A Return to the Vanua and Kinship with Nature in Fiji.- COVID-19 and Transnational Remittances in Samoa: Maintaining Family Ties in the Face of Crisis.- Pacific Labour Mobility on Pause: the consequences of temporary immobility during the COVID-19 pandemic.- From Face to Face to Meeting in Space: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Events Industry in Trinidad and Tobago.- Challenging the idea of work: Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the future of work, health and well-being of the Jamaican workforce.- COVID-19 and Food Security in Fiji’s Urban Areas: The Rise of Urban Farming and Home Gardening as a ‘New Way of Life’.- Catching fish in COVID-19 currents: food security and governance in rural communities in Solomon Islands.- Of Isolation and Atolls: Coping with COVID-19in Manus, Papua New Guinea.- COVID-19: The impact of a complex disaster on household food security in Caribbean SIDS.- God and the Virus in Papua New Guinea: Outsourcing Risk, Living with Uncertainty and (Re)creating a Niupela Pasin.- Igat wei bilong lukautim mipela yet istap (We can look after ourselves):Community-based Organisations Responding to COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea.- Safeguarding Human Rights in a Global Pandemic: Reflections on the Caribbean’s Response to COVID-19.- To Comply or not to Comply. State Resistance and Exceptions to COVID-19 Rules and Regulations.- Towards a resilient, inclusive and green recovery in the Caribbean.- Aftermath: Towards a ‘New Normal’.