Migrants – particularly in lower paid jobs – may be both more affected by and vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 in countries already impacted and those countries where the pandemic is spreading, but migrants also play an important role in the response to COVID-19 by working in critical sectors.
Increasing border restrictions also have an impact on the mobility of migrants and the role of humanitarian organizations. Between 11 March 2020, when the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and 22 February 2021, nearly 105,000 movement restrictions were implemented around the world (IOM, 2021a). At the same time, 189 countries, territories or areas have issued 795 exceptions to these restrictions, thus enabling mobility (ibid.). Estimates with an assumption of zero-growth in the number of migrants between 1 March and 1 July 2020 suggest a decrease of nearly 2 million international migrants globally compared to the initially expected estimate between mid-2019 and mid-2020 (UN DESA, 2020). Migration flows to OECD countries – measured by new permits issued – are estimated to have fallen by 46 per cent in the first half of 2020 and 2020 is expected to be a historical low for migration to OECD countries (OECD, 2020a). Such a drop in migration inflows can also have demographic effects on countries dependent on migration for population growth.
https://www.migrationdataportal.org/themes/migration-data-relevant-covid-19-pandemic
Relational Realism for Christian Ministry 關係論與基督教事工 