XOR-analytic network process and assessing the impact of COVID-19 by sector

The consequences of any extreme event can deteriorate any system at all levels: socially, economically, and operationally. The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), provides a good example of the tremendous impact that can be produced by such extreme events. To effectively measure and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and relaunch the Moroccan economy, policymakers need to determine which sectors have been most impacted. Due to the high level of uncertainty and complexity surrounding this health crisis, this study first develops a new technique for dealing with decision problems under uncertainty using exclusive-or (XOR) logic, called the XOR-analytic network process (XOR-ANP). Then, the proposed technique is adopted to assess the impact of COVID-19 on seven relevant sectors (tourism, transport, industrial, financial, agriculture, education, and healthcare) by considering social, operational, and economic dimensions. The key findings show that COVID-19 has a significant impact on Moroccan’s tourism, healthcare, and transport sectors, with respect to social-economic and operational dimensions by 30.99%, 21.81%, and 17.88%, respectively. These results indicate that most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, such as “Healthy Lives”, “Decent Work” and “Economic Growth” have been severely impacted, thus, assistance and recovery are urgently needed.