The Covid-19 Pandemic: Vulnerability of Migrant workers in the GCC States

Abstract

The six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) contain some of the highest numbers of migrants of any country in the world. Estimated at as many as 28 million, the migrants living in the region remit roughly US$ 110 billion to their home countries annually. As the global Covid19 crisis unfolds, the GCC countries face an unprecedent challenge of containing the spread of the disease among nationals and residents in the region. Since the movement of people is a primary driver of virus spread, the GCC states have imposed measures to restrict such movement, including lockdown. The idea is to ensure social distancing so as to avoid person-toperson infection. However, migrants in Gulf countries live primarily in labour camps or crowded dormitories which are hotspots for Coronavirus spread. Migrants are therefore highly exposed to the Covid-19 pandemic.