In pictures: Life in migrant camps in times of the coronavirus pandemic

A United Nations report in 2019 revealed that the global refugee population is at its peak and has almost doubled in the last eight years with more than 25 million refugees living in host communities around the world in addition to 41.3 million internally displaced people and 3.5 million asylum seekers. 

In the last few months, following the fast and volatile spread of the coronavirus, refugees around the world crammed into camps have become the most vulnerable people in light of the pandemic. They are  facing a shortage of water and medical supplies, grappling with hunger and squalid unhygienic conditions. 

This is how things are in some of the most populated camps in different parts of the world. 

Greek Islands

In Greece, there are more than 40,000 refugees and migrants on its islands with 11,000 children and they are living in overcrowded refugee camps which are potentially susceptible for the spread of infectious diseases like Covid-19. 

The people living in the refugee centres on the Greek islands of Lesvos, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos account for almost 40,000 people while Moria has over 19,000. And, these are all centres where people live crammed and have no chance of social distancing as the installations on the islands are six times over capacity.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, refugees in the camp in Cox’s Bazar province face a lack of access to water and sanitation. Furthermore, if they want to go to the toilet or wash their hands, refugees in the camp need to wait for a long time in long queues which means a violation of social distancing. 

Deepmala Mahla who is the Asia regional director of CARE International said that the water point is located in a place where refugees might succumb to Covid-19 and all sanitary products including soap are in short supply. Even before the pandemic, the residents of the camp were only able to receive one small free bar of soap a month.

Authorities in Bangladesh began a lockdown in all 34 Rohingya refugee settlements in the country’s southern district of Cox’s Bazar as part of its effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Lebanon

Since Lebanon registered its first case of Covid-19 on February 21, the country’s refugee camps where living conditions are dire, have come under a spotlight. Refugees there don't have access to masks, medical supplies or clean water. The overall water shortage robs them of the most important anti-coronavirus precaution — hand washing — which has become a luxury for refugees. 

Northern Syria

Syrian refugees living in Turkey are able to rely on Turkey’s free health care system, but the ones on the other side of the border are living in constant danger. The Assad regime has bombed at least 70 hospitals in the region. Syrians in the area are not fully equipped to deal with a large-scale outbreak of the virus. Experts fear that if the virus were to spread there, at least 100,000 people would need to go into intensive care while it can only handle 200 cases.

India

In India’s capital New Delhi, Rohingya refugees are in danger because of the lack of support from India’s Hindu nationalist Modi government as it considers Rohingya Muslim refugees as ‘illegal immigrants’. The government has also framed them as a security threat.