Racism and xenophobia has no place in the 2019-nCov outbreak: Include migrants in the way out of the health crisis

14th February 2020

The International Migrants Alliance (IMA) has taken into account the magnification of pre-existing vulnerabilities of migrant workers, as Asia, to wit, East Asia is currently under the grip of the corona virus problem.

Last January 7, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared they have discovered a new virus strain, 2019-nCoV, a strain belonging to the coronavirus family. This followed reports from China on December 31 of several cases of pneumonia in the province of Wuhan, China. By January 30, 2020, WHO declared the 2019-nCoV coronavirus global, after the number of dead in China from the 2019-nCoV has risen to 170, with 7,771 cases reported and spreading to 31 provinces inside the country. As of February 5, China has reported 490 2019-nCoV related deaths.

Many countries in Asia since January 22, 2020 have taken drastic steps to prevent the contagion. Some have increased health surveillance in ports of entry, while some have completely shut the borders they share with China, and cancelled all travel from China, Hong Kong and Macau.

With the crisis still ongoing, the health and welfare of affected migrants are placed in increasing precariousness. Many migrants cannot access local health care facilities in receiving countries, unless they pay the service or have existing health insurance. With meager salaries, the wiggle room for them to shell out payments to hospital care is tragically limited. 

With health care facilities stretched to breaking points, local and migrants are both challenged in accessing appropriate health care. Racists and xenophobes are using the issue to further spread hate and accuse the migrants of leeching social services, when in fact migrants contribute to the local economy in many ways. 

The case in Hong Kong, wherein personal protective equipment, like masks, are in short supply and prices are sky-high, with some local residents already complaining of limited supply and absurd prices, more so the migrant domestic workers, who barely have enough for their basic needs, as they send most of their salary as remittance to their families back home. 

The knee-jerk reaction of some governments, like the Philippines, has placed many migrants in potential job-loss situations. Migrants renewing their contract need to go back to the Philippines, but in this case, they have to stay for at least 14 days in self-quarantine before going back to their workplace. Employers who cannot wait will simply look for another domestic worker who can work immediately. 

Double-standards are also rearing its ugly head. The Labour Department of Hong Kong announced that migrant domestic workers should stay at home rather than go out during their rest day, while such a policy does not apply to locals. In fact, migrant domestic workers go out 6 days a week to go to the market or run other errands for their employers. Racism and xenophobia have no place in society, especially in crisis situations.  

The consular offices of some migrant-sending countries are blasé to the conditions of their constituency. While some have made public their effort to provide support for their constituents, countries like the Philippines state that they do not have the resources, despite asking mandatory health premiums for their nationals working outside of the Philippines.

We in the IMA seek that governments include the migrants in finding the way out of the health crisis. Include the migrants in the development of the health policies, and do not discriminate and impose double standards against the migrants. IMA members in HK and Macau have engaged their members in health education campaign to help in prevention, including raising necessary material support for the public health needs of the migrants.

Reference:
Eni Lestari

Chairperson, International Migrants Alliance (IMA)

Eni Lestari