Mind the gap: Affordable internet vital for coronavirus recovery

KUALA LUMPUR: From online schooling to working from home or video calls with family, the internet has helped billions of people adapt and survive during the coronavirus pandemic.

But as lockdowns ease and social-distancing rules remain, human rights experts say countries must now ensure all citizens – especially women, the elderly and rural communities – get access to affordable internet to avoid being left behind.

“This virus is going to be around for a while,” said Kanni Wignaraja, head of the U.N. Development Programme for Asia-Pacific.

“One of the biggest drivers of inequality today comes with who has access to technology and particularly to internet services,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “That is widening the gap and COVID has just put that right at the centre.”