Aljazeera. Where entry. Is coronavirus carnage on the way for refugee aid groups warn of potential disaster for already vulnerable refugees and migrants in crowded counts worldwide with carers sick volunteers gone and governments overwhelmed what needs to be done to save them this is a side story. Hello and welcome to the program im tending obligates on hand washing and social distancing are crucial in the fight against corona virus thats nearly impossible for refugees and migrants who live in deplorable conditions and aid groups are now warning of carnage if there is an outbreak in overcrowded camps such as in bangladesh greece syria yemen and venezuela humanitarian activists are appealing for hygiene kits water sanitation and training for Health Workers to protect refugees and governments providing shelter under pressure to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe mohamed jump to reports. A population so traumatized by violence now terrified of a virus in Northern Syria after 10 years of war and humanitarian catastrophe medics are doing all they can to prevent an outbreak of covert 19 masks are being handed out parents are trying to protect their children but everyone seems to know its not nearly enough in the south as though by thirds of them we have very little equipment and supplies not just right here but in all of Northern Syria not i dont know what that is in bangladesh where around 3 quarters of a 1000000 rohingya for me and more are in camps youth activists are teaching refugee children about the importance of proper hygiene anxiety in the largest refugee settlement in the world is on the rise warnings from 80000. 00 seats are stark emagine than what it would course in densely crowded refugee camps Community Centers tilt with civilians in the war so displaced people fleeing to informal settlements in places where there is little or no water no water. Little hygiene and no health care in greece Doctors Without Borders has urged to go. Ever meant to evacuate refugees from overcrowded camps they say provide the perfect storm for a cold 1000 outbreak we have one want to go and where 1300 people in maurya we have one toilet or 200 and if we asked people today to go doctor their approach there is no doctor to go and if we ask either of these people to be to isolate them so there is no space resolution this week the United NationsRefugee Agency announced that due to severe travel disruptions around the world travel arrangements for resettling refugees are being temporarily suspended reality to say its working very closely with them to ensure that movements can still continue for the most critical of the missions he cases. Its possible as panic over the pandemic spreads around the world refugees and the internally displaced are as always just trying to survive people long accustomed to uncertainty for whom life has suddenly become an even greater challenge. As. I lets bring in our panel joining us from athens is up a star as a face is hes the director of the medical Operational Support unit of Doctors Without Borders in greece from aman in jordan morial chop is the country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council and from geneva in switzerland is the spokesman for the United NationsRefugee Agency the u. N. H. C. R. Welcome to you all thanks very much for your time with us on inside story mr barr in geneva all start with you because as we heard it mohamed report just a moment ago the u. N. H. C. R. Has now temporarily suspended sending refugees on to resettle in new permanent homes abroad and thats because of travel disruptions caused by coronavirus just talk us through how this decision it was made and why. The faster. I think lets get back to the reality of this Health Emergency and the outbreak. About a lot of concerns about of measures being put in place this is the time lets put our concerns into care and lets not forget the worlds most wanted well this will be a call that all of us will be making here today in terms of the the travel suspensions for refugees who are going on resettlement its a temporary resettlement currently needed because all the measures in terms of travel that are put in place but still in terms of those who need resettlement that process continues i mean one its because of the d travel arrangements and distractions also secondly the sort for get refugees are human beings theyre all unable themselves and at this time its important that their wellbeing is also taken into account and consideration and thats why we have been calling on everybody for International Solidarity and for inclusion in all responses and Health Systems when it comes to all populations including refugees and Asylum Seekers right but of course the risk associated with that decision some people will say is that it will be that it will leave displaced persons in camps and places that are often they themselves prevent present Significant Health and safety risk so are you not concerned about that. I think we are concerned about everyone including refugees seekers displaced people every year but this is because of the reality of the day and this is temporary were hoping that all of us collectively will get through this phase of this Health Emergency which is a concern for all human beings. Refugees are included in that or population so at this time it is necessary but lets not also forget that resettlement is a winnable for a very tiny number of refugees and thats what is one of what i wanted to ask you right so how many people does this decision actually affect and and can you tell us perhaps from which regions and when you say its temporary and give us some sort of time limit i think lets all the travel restrictions eased down lets hope that we are through this phase of emergency and the need for resettlement worldwide is huge but a very limited number is able to go through this unless or forget why the settlement is needed bill resettlement is for the most while are able refugees who are in the country of refuge in the xylem and they need to be taken to an at their police because their life is at risk or right im real over and im on your bastiaan egland who is the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council as warning that this corona virus pandemic could cause devastating consequences at crowded refugee camps and in countries with damaged Health Care Systems whats the biggest risk to refugees what makes refugees particularly vulnerable to coronavirus. Yes thank you very much i think refugees are particular more vulnerable for many reasons i think 1st of all many of them are locating countries with. Limited Health Systems acing many of them live in crowded conditions often they dont have their own hygiene sanitation facilities. Nothing here in jordan or the conditions are much better than in other countries but i think also some of the concerns are very much being too and their ability to actually operate and live in conditions of basically because i look down here in jordan we since today are basically confined to our homes and that means that many refugees who live below the poverty line can no longer access any income many of them depend on daily work that means they are basically left without resources some undocumented refugees are now very scared of leaving their houses few of them have the financial means to access protective equipment or even simply saw open water so i think its about the most vulnerable refugees all the sudden being cut off from normal support networks that most of the n. G. O. S are grounded here in jordan due to restriction of movement i think the government is working on giving us access but that means that the support that refugees get on a day to day basis is order all the sudden cut right so how is your group in our region Refugee Council going about this and dealing with the situation. So i think were trying to hold approach on the one hand we are trying to not spread that is we are very conscious of following the government regulation and all our workers that are not essential i would argue from warming as of early this week we are trying to ramp up and keep going to the most critical look rationed for example now our main focus is to be able to deliver cash to the wreckage living in the camp as they cannot exclude or enter to camden needs it cannot go on work and a caterpillar to even work with even the camps are extremely rare used to most of it you cant kill them all already vision gone so were trying to make sure that they have at least enough money to survive while the Health Operators are trying to make sure that people get to have scared that they need ok a post on as they say is over in athens and greece has imposed restrictions on the movement of refugees and migrants living in camps there to try and prevent the spread of coronavirus including some of these Restrictions Mean that they can only temporarily exit the camps only in small groups between certain hours whats your response to these restrictions theres a pro this is the action down on me for being a solo seekers and refugees is a discriminatory measure and this is going to bring even more danger and most more severe situation for these people who are already living in an overcrowded yes weve got about to the people who are out there living in a space where there is no shelter there is no water and sanitation and this is going to bring even more tension more fear and we have created by those we love you well the author already saying this is a pandemic and this is how we have to deal with this pandemic now and try to contain it. 1st of all this distinction of taking place only for the Asylum Seekers and not for the regulation to start with secondly i thirtys are doing nothing to improve the Living Conditions for these people are nothing being done to improve their water and sanitation and nothing has been done in order to take here if an outbreak would take place in the camps the situation of today in the body comes it is not because of the governor who has this is a negligence of this for the last 4 years so at the moment its no time for restriction and it meant izing Asylum Seekers and refugees its a dime for an action that evolves everybody so the moment the government and you look and union needs to increase the resources being who were in sunny day sion day care medically for these people and not stigmatize them yeah i mean the safety of water sanitation obviously the main the recommendations when it comes to corona virus and to halt the spread of the virus as handwashing as was as well as social distancing which seem a near to impossible to do in refugee camps which are often overcrowded across the us is there one particular group that youre most concerned about because i know france here has been doing a lot of work on the ground up until recently at least. Yes you are right so from our side our concerns about the vulnerable groups of people with chronic diseases and Senior Citizens so that something that needs to be evacuated from the camps put them in a safe place where they can take the lead themselves and can take also hygiene measures secondly the. Banning of people to be for 14 days and it will be under a kind of thing and also the discussion is that in place where possibility of stopping flights from other countries to greece they may create a problem for the need of volunteers who are specialized in such a situation in a case of an outbreak so we are concerned and i think measures that can take place moving in the most vulnerable ones and improving water and sanitation and removing intersection for people but ensuring that they have access to information or services is something that if they place today mr barr over in geneva what do you make of these sort of restrictions and restrictions on movements that are being put on people in refugee camps. The government can in the publics interest at large put in place measures where its necessary but as you heard it should not be discriminatory against one set of population and were here talking about warner able refugees and Asylum Seekers and migrants as well in the case of greece or such where important that they have access to those services and were not asking for most basic things that we as human beings need in our daily life so whatre a place to sleep shelter these has to be arranged and lets not forget that greece is in europe so our call has been only says well as on the European Union to act and Work Together fast as we now currently have more than 40000. 00 individuals on the edge an island so those overcrowded places can be kind of managed in a way with this proper distancing and people have proper access to facilities and the u. N. H. C. R. Has issued an initial appeal to governments for 33000000. 00 correct me if im wrong to help provide hygiene kits protective gear water sanitation and so on and so forth what kind of response have you gotten to that appeal from the International Community indeed as you mentioned it is an initial appeal of 33000000. 00 the needs could be much more we have some contributions that are coming in we are going to reassess the needs we have asked all of our refugee programs and operations to look what the needs are we are working hand in hand with the National Authorities in terms of making sure that refugees who are in the refugee camp but also who are outside the refugee camps have access to all the facilities that they need i think the call will be broadened soon and we will need International Solidarity in this respect as well but trying to remind ourselves that this Health Emergency. Is that a nickname call we says that things can drastically change for all of us and we have to stand together in terms of killing for each other and not forgetting refugees in the worlds worst one unable population morial a moment ago you were talking about the lockdown that youre experiencing in jordan so given the absence of testing at refugee camps in the middle east where you are how likely is it that there undetected are reported cases and does that worry you. Yes i think you know the shortage of of testing is not is not that restricted to the camp itself i mean drop in itself struggling to access enough enough to i think its i think overall though obviously we are concerned about existence of nonaddicted cases inside the camps as well as an outside account as a reminder 80 percent of the refugees in jordan who live in cities that are there and the host look at asia and so i think its a concern for us globally in a cabin outside of the lack of catherine i think the government is working very hard to obtain them but obviously its their local a pandemic so having access to the right equipment and the right Health Care Facilities the capacity to cope with such an outbreak is a struggle for all governments or across the world and 7 countries around the region where you are some would describe the Health Systems and in particular the countries as being weak or broken and thats a result of years of conflict in yemen syria for example so its what to what extent does that challenge an Effective Response to the coronavirus. Yes i think its clear the lack of ability of some Health Care System to practically in wartime countries to respond is a significant added concern i mean if there is no even in countries in europe where we generally have quite Good Health Care are struggling to cope but you can only imagine how are scarce in system many in yemen can cope so does definitely primary concerns of people in those countries are the only are suffering from more difficult Living Conditions more crowded inability to follow some of those norms due to war ongoing but there are also then struggling to access actual has got so compounded a country such as syria or yemen are definitely extremely vulnerable and apostolos what kind of emergency plans if any are put in place to protect and treat People Living in the camps where you are in case of an outbreak. Unfortunately there is going to sit down and just communication plans from the thirtys again who are talking about a restriction of movement of people so from our side with being. Lazy in our concerns and trying to make from our side their forte you know leap to minimize the possibilities of exposure in order to do the Case Management engage of not break we are a great concern that situation today in the camps is not because of the going out of items the season 0. 90 for the last 4 years and i think International Community has been failing on taking care of these people in the european setting they are failing to take care of Children Women and men and where is our concern thats the better late than never the International Community the greek government and European Union needs to do something for these people today but are just picking up on what was taught us was saying he seems to suggest thats whats happening greek camps as not as a result of the coronavirus and there are some aid groups who are worrying that the coronavirus will provide ammunition to anti migrants and anti refugee voices and theyll use it as an excuse to shut the door on people who are fleeing war and persecution. Does that worry you and do you do you agree with that sentiment. I think we should open up our ears and listen carefully this wire us does not discriminate why should we so this is a test of our humanity as well this is a time that we cannot leave everyone behind it is going to affect all of us alike so this is not a time for stigma or discrimination are just focusing for some measures at one set of population this has to be a collective effort we have been through tough times remember the 2nd world war europe went through that they were able to come out of it collectively as human beings this is the right time to start that because its once again reminding ourselves that as human beings we can fight this wireless has a big enough of a public discussion from what you seen about how this virus might impact refugees and migrants and if not what more would you like to see but are what we have seen so far is this reference exam or their pick up their special interest in terms of our refugees will be affected no different as as ordinary human beings if we forget them then the danger is bigger for all of us as together they need this same care they need access to the same facilities laws have to be looked after when we are talking about human beings about the human kind so we cannot discriminate and we cannot put laws aside and then deal with refugees differently we have to have a collective response to this wires and we have to have a human response to that to this wireless otherwise we are going to get get fail griese in this morial theres also were talking about a sort of a public messaging role here so how do you get that roll out and how to reach marginalized refugees and migrants with the information that they need when it comes to the coronavirus. Yeah i think what we are trying to do is basically adapt to repurpose some of the activities that we normally do we havent contacted her for example our last 300000 refugees a year so we have their Contact Numbers we have their phone so when we we used to call them for something now we can call them about Something Else so i think its about using the mechanism that we have to reach these individuals and use different messaging and make sure that we are supporting them where their daily needs but also with the right actually know messages i think to our donors i think its very important for us as a humanitarian community to also you mediately understand that these needs again are not only chance and hygiene related but this is what we are talking about the most vulnerable or among the most Vulnerable People in the population so we need to understand very quickly i think their Economic Needs their protection needs and understand it is not just a crisis of our health its also a crisis of our people who are losing their income people who are losing access to services for you know in response to the situation. Apostles apostolos i come over to just among the bar i saw you nodding along with morial would you like to add on to that indeed i agree with that and also as it was mentioned earlier lets not forget the water world refugees are not unlikely to camp there are out in the urban settings in the cities so they need to have access to their economies to their daily living thats why this call is so broad that we cannot afford to forget refugees and we cannot discriminate against them as well and us all are certain to pick up on what morial was saying a moment ago about the role of public messaging as matt has some fans here how are you getting the message out to refugees considering that some of your services has been written have been restricted due to the to the movement restructures implemented. Yeah went straight from our site to ensure that people in the camps they are getting the information at least were going to believe that there is less but make among them theres less worry secondly where its right from our side by improving the wilderness or invasion conditions all over the united of someone where were putting 60000 liters of water a day we increase the number of of that streams and now the showers in that was and i would be into the moment when your country there that people were from the Refugee Community im trying to pass the message so the question is are we working over that actually in order to ensure that there is for these people to be to be used but again i would like to mention that bodhi the go to have items he needs to remind us that these people are existing and theyre not just numbers all right on that note well have to leave it there we thank you very much for joining us up a lot of a. C. s morrill chop and bob our ballots thanks very much for your time with us on inside story and thanks very much for watching you can see the program again any time by visiting our website aljazeera dot com for further discussion you can go to our Facebook Page thats facebook dot com forward slash a. J. Inside story you can also join the conversation on twitter our handle is at a. J. Inside story for myself and the whole team thanks for watching of my friends. At my going. Yeah but. A 4 game. For 4 minutes of practice. But to achieve their dream of becoming afghanistans 1st ever win to win in p. M. s they will have to overcome any mountain. Carving a path of hope and inspiration where the light shines witness on aljazeera. 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