Guest Editorial

Abstract

While the COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on all members of society, it is also underscoring the worsening inequalities, discrimination and racial bias faced by marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities, persons with mental illness, women and children, older persons, refugees, persons of color, the poor and homeless. Importantly, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner contends that amongst these marginalized groups, persons with disability and older persons in residential facilities, as well as persons in psychiatric facilities, face disproportionate challenges associated with attitudinal, environmental and institutional barriers that are often reproduced in countries' COVID-19 responses1.While we commend our government's efforts in considering the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities and to some extent, other marginalised groups, of great concern however, is the government's lack of an inclusive response in addressing the social determinants of health (e.g. poverty, gender-based violence (GBV), homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, etc.) and the concomitant social inequalities, that will continue to have a significant impact on the long term outcomes post COVID-19 2. An additional concern held by The Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa (OTASA), is the lack of inclusion of occupational therapy and other rehabilitation interventions in the COVID-19 response, both in the acute and recovery phases of the pandemic.As our country recovers from the deleterious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a coordinated, context-specific, inclusive and appropriately resourced approach to rehabilitation will be essential. This will be needed to mitigate both the longer-term consequences of COVID-19 and to address the varied participation restrictions experienced both by the infected and affected population groups3. However, rehabilitation, without addressing the social determinants of health and the concomitant social inequalities simply cannot and will not be enough. Thus, the inclusion of 'voices from the margins', must be a priority, for any inclusive, person-centred approach to this pandemic.