AFRICA’S GOVERNANCE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 | PRELIMINARY REPORT 2020 e. COMESA As a regional trading bloc, COMESA has implemented its own collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with its member states establishing uniform standards to minimize the disruptions being experienced in the supply chain for essential goods. Eighty percent of workers in the bloc are employed in the informal sector, where all segments of value chains, from plants, logistics of distribution, to the role of shops and restaurants, have been disrupted. COMESA has called on member states to work together in bridging the gap between policy intentions and implementation outcomes. To this end, COMESA has developed guidelines to restore faith in the commitments made by member states on cooperating in customs and border management, procedures and activities by simplifying and harmonizing their trade documentation and procedures. Further, COMESA has mapped out the trade sector response in its member states in the area of trade facilitation and business support. These assessments are considered against the preventive measures put in place by the member states. 13 SADC has a membership of 16 Member States, name- ly; Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 56