Ontario’s COVID-19 Policy Impacts: A Scoping Review Protocol Centering African, Caribbean, and Black Populations

COVID-19 uniquely impacted African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities in Ontario due to overlapping social and economic vulnerabilities. They experienced higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality associated with systemic racism, economic marginalization, limited access to healthcare, and overrepresentation in frontline jobs (Caminsky, 2022; McKenzie et al., 2022; Olanlesi-Aliu, 2024). The combination of racialization, low income, and occupational risks places ACB communities among the most susceptible in Ontario to COVID-19 and its consequences (Olanlesi-Aliu, 2024). Taken together, these findings point to the need for further research on the specific impacts of pandemic policies, particularly their effects on ACB populations facing intersecting challenges. This proposed review seeks to assess the impact of Ontario's COVID-19-related policies using provincial laws, municipal bylaws, public health guidelines, mandates, and other government response measures as proxies to understand their effects. It will explore the unique outcomes for African, Caribbean, and Black communities as a subgroup of focus, as this population in Ontario has experienced disproportionate health and social outcomes during the pandemic. To our knowledge, no review has examined the impact of Ontario's COVID-19-related policies among ACB communities.