Locked up under lockdown: The COVID-19 pandemic and the migrant population

Akm Ahsan Ullah; Faraha Nawaz; Diotima Chattoraj

doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100126

Locked up under lockdown: The COVID-19 pandemic and the migrant population

Soc Sci Humanit Open. 2021;3(1):100126. doi: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100126. Epub 2021 Feb 5.

Authors

Akm Ahsan Ullah¹, Faraha Nawaz², Diotima Chattoraj¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences University of Brunei Darussalam, Bangladesh.
² Department of Public Administration, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh.

Abstract

Almost all countries in the world have now enforced coronavirus-related travel restrictions and border shutdowns. Migrant populations in the world are now considered the worst victims of COVID-19, and the spreaders too. This article aims to investigate the impacts that COVID-19 has on population migration. Informal interviews were conducted with the respondents who were stranded in different parts of the world via Skype and WhatsApp between February and November 2020. COVID-19 poses a threat to the millions who were caught between home and their final destinations - and are now living in overcrowded refugee camps where the terms 'stay home' 'stay safe' and 'social distancing' carries very little meaning.

Keywords: COVID-19; Lockdown; Migration; Pandemic; Refugee.