Yemen: State narratives, social perceptions & health behaviours around COVID-19

This report aims to provide background information on how key political actors and local communities in Yemen view COVID 19 to help humanitarian actors tailor their COVID 19 programming and health messaging to the local context. 
The report charts the institutional reaction to the pandemic from the moment the Houthi and GoY administrations acknowledged the problem in mid-February until the end of April 2020, and the measures implemented by the various authorities that are in de facto control of different parts of the country. It also analyses the political narratives that have been adopted by the different authorities and popular perceptions towards the pandemic. Both narratives and perceptions influence the public’s health behaviour and determine the degree to which Yemenis will adopt and adhere to a variety of different measures. Thus this report presents an analysis of the potential impact of social perceptions and political narratives on a COVID-19 outbreak in Yemen, as well as recommendations for its mitigation.