ON MIGRANTS AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC – AN ANALYSIS

In the present context of COVID 19 pandemic, the interlinkages between migration and health are once again on the international agenda The relationship between migration and health is multifaceted and varies across migrant groups or individuals within groups Sometimes, migration is driven by health issues, and in other cases the migration journey may worsen the health condition of the migrants and refugees, namely those migrating out of necessity In Europe, the public health policies insufficiently address the health problems of the migrants, especially for displaced persons and irregular migrants The impact of lockdowns and various socio-economic restrictions on the most vulnerable labour force are being investigated nowadays, and the SDG principle "no one is left behind" is seriously challenged The article aims to reveal several traits of the present health crisis and its impact on migrants and refugees, the vulnerabilities exacerbated by the crisis, and to identify potential measures to be taken by host countries in order to reduce the negative impact

NO. 34 / 2020 analysis is so relevant from the perspective of crisis response and management. The report reveals 3 dimensions of the COVID impact on regions (OECD, 2020:2)

1.
Health/social impact: some regions, particularly the more vulnerable ones, such as deprived urban areas, have seen higher caseloads and mortality rates than others. Vulnerable populations, including migrants and refugees too, have been more affected.

2.
Economic impact: regional economic exposure to the crisis is varying based on an area's exposure to global value chains and specialisation in specific sectors like tourism or hospitality, at least in the initial stages 3.
Fiscal impact: the crisis is resulting in increased expenditure and reduced revenue for subnational governments, and while its impact on subnational finance is not uniform, it is expected to be long-lasting.
According to IOM, 259 million international migrants and more than 150 million workers were registered in 2017. A genuine and sustainable integration of the migrants in the host country depends greatly on their access to labour market, housing facilities and healthcare services. Still, in most European countries the issues of availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of health services for migrants are far from being properly addressed. Moreover, "while the 2030 Agenda calls for social protection for all and aims for universal health coverage, national legislation often excludes international migrants in an irregular situation from social protection and affords other categories of migrants, such as temporary migrants, only limited rights" (UN, 2018:77).
The migration-health nexus has been analysed by a variety of researchers and among the most relevant perspectives, we mention the following -the human rights and social equity perspective, focusing on migration as a social determinant of the health of migrants ( etc.) and once they decide to return in home countries they may face failure in re-integrating in the home communities, another source for emotional distress. According to Hodges (2020), migrants are less likely to seek help, due to financial barriers, privacy concerns and social stigma. The

Migrant workers and their vulnerabilities
Usually, migrants are overrepresented in low skilled precarious jobs, as they are accessing the informal market, mainly the so-called 3D jobs (dirty, difficult and dangerous), risking de-skilling, social stigma, low incomes, lack of access to social benefits or very limited, if any, access to healthcare services (except for emergency care). In Europe "the highest shares of migrant workers are among the cleaners and helpers (38%), workers in mining and construction (23%), stationary plant and machine operators (20%) and personal care workers (19%)" (Fasani & Mazza, 2020: 1). UN estimates reveal that nearly 30% of the workforce in highly affected sectors by the present pandemic in OECD countries is foreign-born (Testaverde, 2020).
Still, regardless their presence on the primary or secondary labour market, once they are employed, migrants contribute more to the social security system than they benefit from -"migrants are vastly underserved by social protection systems around the world. They often pay taxes and contributions to these systems, but restrictive laws or administrative barriers limit their access to benefits. Over the long term, they are unlikely to constitute a disproportionate fiscal burden for destination countries" (UN, 2018:82).
In the same time, we should acknowledge that developed economies are in continuous search for skilled workforce, in the context of the alarming shrinkage of their native active population. If we refer to the present dramatic health crisis, we need to address the issue of essential/key-workers (those who perform jobs that are vital for the good functioning of the  reduce their ability to remit to their families back home, to exhaust their savings, to lose the chance to renew their residence documents and to be forced to return to or to become irregular migrants.
This negative spiral may lead to their social exclusion, despite their efforts to preserve their fragile status in the host country. Therefore, we do believe that the host countries should pay attention to the socio-economic impact of the lockdowns and economic restrictions that are being imposed all over the world, on migrant workers and their families, who seem to lose the battle anyway due their vulnerabilities.
On one side, if we refer to essential workers, the pandemic associated health risks are considerable due to the fact that key migrant workers (working in health system, patient care system, hospitality sector -economic sectors that clearly require physical-proximity) are more exposed to contagion because they work in the frontline of COVID response activities. Probably, the advantage is represented by the limited risk to lose their jobs. Once infected, they still represent a risk for their families (they have reduced capacity to respect social distancing in small and NO. 34 / 2020 crowded housing facilities), so access to proper healthcare is so needed for them and their dependents, as well as access to a financial safety net provided by the host country.
The others, non-essential migrant workers face also high contagion risks due to crowded housing facilities (according to Goddin (2020), several coronavirus outbreaks have impacted crowded refugee camps, where medical assistance is sparse). "COVID-19 has heightened the problem, as could be seen across Europe when a disregard for social distancing and hygiene measures in the housing and working conditions for seasonal migrant workers led to outbreaks and even the death of seasonal workers ( Popp, 2020:4), Migration, an initiative of migrationandhealth.org. 2 They ask for urgent measures to be taken in order to avoid huge labour market imbalances and post-pandemic economic turmoil:  Urgent access to healthcare for all migrants & refugees throughout the response to Covid-19 -basically, it refers to immediate suspension of laws that limit migrants and refugees access to healthcare services and economic support programs;  Inclusion of all migrant and refugee populations in prevention, preparedness for and response to Covid-19 -it refers to awareness and educational campaigns, and support service;  Urgent relocation and reunification of unaccompanied minors, who are particularly vulnerable -the last massive migration inflows a relevant part is represented by unaccompanied children, exposed to serious emotional and physical distress (Cramarenco, 2018:107);  Fast-tracking temporary accreditation of overseas degrees can help overcome the human resources deficit registered in most healthcare systems -this initiative will probably re-activate the whole process of diplomas and professional qualifications' recognition;  Clear, transparent public communication is critical in pandemic response, including those facing linguistic barriers -access to relevant information campaigns;  Governments should also actively counter racism, xenophobia and discrimination against migrants and refugees, through awareness campaigns -the rise of social stigmatization may be counterattacked by balanced, informed official discourse.

Concluding remarks
The on-going COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates, once again, some of the vulnerabilities faced buy migrants and refugees worldwide. We need to acknowledge that they do not represent just a financial burden for the host countries or a threat to the health of the native populations. Both migrant key workers as well as those performing jobs in non-essential sectors of economy, along with refugees and asylum seekers that depend on the safety nets created by the host countries, should have access to healthcare services and financial support, to avoid facing disease and extreme poverty associated risks.
ONLINE JOURNAL MODELLING THE NEW EUROPE NO. 34 / 2020 The lockdowns and mobility restrictions seriously limit the migrants' ability to maintain jobs, to find other jobs when they are laid off, to access social benefits or appropriate housing facilities.
Our preliminary findings highlight the potential benefits of an inclusive approach in COVID-19 policy response, mitigating the 'no one is left behind" principle. The healthcare systems are under enormous pressure, a relevant portion of essential workers are migrant workers, so in order to protect both native populations and newcomers, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, NGOs and migrants' associations need to co-design efficient interventions, to control the pandemic and to identify appropriate support mechanisms for the economic sectors facing downturns.