Covid-19: Why India should vaccinate refugees and undocumented immigrants as well
For humanitarian reasons and to keep the rest of the population safe, the country cannot afford to leave out anyone from its immunisation drive. Representational image. | Manjunath Kiran/AFP
Riyaz , a Rohingya refugee who lives in a crowded camp in Delhi along with nearly 300 others, is desperate to get himself vaccinated against Covid-19. But India’s
ongoing vaccination drive is only open to its
own citizens or those with any of the
All that Riyaz and the others in the camp have are the refugee cards issued by the
Riyaz , a Rohingya refugee who lives in a crowded camp in Delhi along with nearly 300 others, is desperate to get himself vaccinated against COVID-19. But India s ongoing vaccination drive is only open to its own citizens or those with any of the 11 identity documents specified by the government. All that Riyaz and the others in the camp have are the refugee cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A few of us tried to get vaccinated but we were asked for Aadhaar cards, he told IndiaSpend. The lack of an Aadhaar card also means that refugees cannot get themselves tested for COVID-19.
Why India Needs To Vaccinate Undocumented Immigrants, Refugees indiaspend.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from indiaspend.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Need for a proper database and needs assessment of migrant workers.
Resolve issues around the tenure of the employment visa – both for those in the destination country and for those still in Bangladesh.
Include migrant families under a social protection mechanism.
Initiate a process for negotiating with employers about job security, especially for women migrant workers.
Reintegration plans need to be programmed for longer-term support.
Guidance on entrepreneurship development and support with the funds provided by the government for the returnees.
Increased skills development in IT and ICT for the future overseas market.
Learn from the migrant experience of dealing with Covid-19 themselves, or by the country of destination. Since February, migrants have been returning from different countries while many still continue to live in uncertainty in those countries. Nonetheless, these workers have first-hand experience of how those countries are tackling the pandemic. So rather th