Giving Compass' Take:

• The most vulnerable populations will continue to struggle during COVID-19, particularly refugees in Europe, who live in close quarters and have limited access to clean water. 

• What can local governments do to address refugee needs during this pandemic? 

• Learn how you can support immigrant communities during COVID-19. 

While governments are telling their citizens to practice social distancing, stay indoors, and wash their hands frequently — all crucial steps to contain the global COVID-19 pandemic — many vulnerable populations will struggle to comply, especially the tens of thousands of people living in refugee camps across Europe.

Living in close quarters in crowded, often unhygienic conditions, these refugees are far from being able to follow the public health advice being given.

It’s a situation that NGOs and aid workers are extremely concerned about. With the first case of COVID-19 confirmed earlier this month in a refugee camp on Lesbos, the Greek island that houses thousands of refugees arriving in Europe, fears have risen that an outbreak could spread in the camps.

With attention everywhere focused on combating the spread of disease, and the number of volunteers able to help in camps dropping, organizations working with refugees such as Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF / Doctors Without Borders) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warn that refugees are at risk of being forgotten, and action needs to be taken to mitigate a looming humanitarian disaster.

On Tuesday, the European parliament’s committee for civil liberties, justice, and home affairs called for the evacuation of the 42,000 people on Lesbos and the four other Aegean islands that house refugees, the Guardian reported. All the facilities on these islands are reportedly running six times over capacity.

The need to evacuate was described as an “urgent preventative measure… to prevent many deaths,” by the committee in its statement.

“Obviously people in the camp can’t practice social distancing,” she added. "They also can’t wash hands for 20 seconds regularly, let alone even keep clean. No one has been properly dry for ages, because they live in tents that have sunk into the margin and there’s one water tap for 1,300 people to use, no one has showered for months.”

You can join the movement to help protect refugees in Europe by taking action through our Together At Home campaign against COVID-19 coronavirus.

Read the full article about how coronavirus impacts refugees by Helen Lock at Global Citizen.