The UN refugee agency (UNHCR), as well as the International Organisation for migration, has suspended resettling refugees in permanent homes as coronavirus has caused significant travel disruptions.
This suspension would take effect within the next few days however the UHCR has also called on the international community to enable movement where it is a matter of critical emergency.
The UN children’s fund, UNICEF, has stated that European border restrictions have posed a severe impact on plans to transfer hundreds of children, which will put those in refugee camps in Greece in a “dire and dangerous” situation.
Some European countries such as Finland, France, Portugal, Luxembourg, as well as the German city of Berlin have agreed to support unaccompanied minors from Greece as well as those fleeing the conflict in Syria. Other EU states, however, have responded by imposing stricter border controls.
There is concern over migrants health as it was revealed that there were at least 10 confirmed cases of the coronavirus among the refugee community within Germany. This is likely to undermine support for taking refugees, which has worried some human rights activists.
Last year the UNHCR was able to successfully resettled approximately 64,000 people.
Read more from Reuters.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
