5 Ways a Global Pandemic is Even Worse if You’re A Refugee

If you’re a refugee living through a global pandemic, that may mean living in very close quarters with others seeking asylum, being forced to share beds with symptomatic strangers, or even sleeping rough on city streets. We’re all trying to stay 2 metres apart right now, but for people living in densely populated refugee camps, that’s simply not possible.

Because many forcibly displaced people are still in the process of seeking asylum, meaning they’re waiting for a decision to be made on their asylum application, they’re often hesitant to seek out medical help for fear of landing in immigration detention. And some refugees face additional barriers to healthcare, such as transportation, lack of information, money, language, or fear of “hostile environment” policies. 

Refugees don’t choose to leave their homes. They’re forced to. And they usually can’t take all of the people they love with them. Social isolation and loneliness is affecting people worldwide. But imagine what it would feel like to live through this in a country that’s not your own, where you might not speak the language, have a home WiFi connection, or even have the resources to top up your phone to call home.

Many people seeking safety either aren’t allowed to work, or face barriers to employment due to language, legal restrictions, or discrimination. Yet, government support is often woefully adequate (in the UK, it’s £39.63 per week which is about £5.66 per day). You can’t stock up on two weeks’ worth of food on that budget, so weekly (at least) shopping trips are required. And when the shelves are bare due to panic buying and shopping around for cheaper food is impossible due to stay-at-home orders, that means many refugees are barely getting enough to eat. Last year, during the pandemic the UK Government reviewed asylum support and raised it by a meagre 3p per week (no, that’s not a typo!). It was more of an insult than an increase. 

A person seeking asylum is forced to wait until the government reviews their case — but most governments have either suspended or delayed the processing of asylum claims and statelessness applications. In the UK, more than 75% of people in the asylum system have now been stuck in limbo for more than 6 months. The longer the delay, the more desperate the situation becomes — and the longer the backlog will be after operations resume.