However, while the cautionary measures and strategies were effective in curbing the surge and flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases, they also presented new realities that left millions of young people at a disadvantage. With the introduction of curfews, lockdowns, and work-from-home measures, many young people were impacted heavily by the closure of educational institutions; pay cuts, and job losses from organizations and companies that scaled down particularly those in transport and the tourism sectors; micro, small and medium enterprises were equally hard hit by the low purchasing power resulting in low and irregular earnings; and the interruption of recreational and leisure activities. The socio-economic disruption has reversed the hard-won economic and social gains and impacted the ability of many young people who have had to make do with a shrunken disposable income and a high cost of living, aggravating existing vulnerabilities and pushing most of them back to poverty.
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