DOCSLIB.ORG

Regional Response to COVID-19 IOM Central America, North America and the Caribbean

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Regional Response to COVID-19 IOM Central America, North America and the Caribbean RegionalIOM Response Central America, North to America COVID-19 and the Caribbean IOM Central America, North America and the Caribbean Ensuring vulnerable migrants are protected in every country’s broader COVID-19 response is a key goal for IOM’s Regional Migration Programs. SUMMARY In coordination with governments and the liaison structures activated by the United Nations System in each country, the actions carried out by IOM in Central America, North America and the Caribbean in response to the COVID-19 pandemic focus on the following categories: • Information for the migrant population: IOM offices are disseminating information that contributes to the prevention of COVID-19 among the migrant population, following the guidelines of the respective national governments and in coordination with PAHO/WHO. • Strengthening of shelters: IOM is strengthening the capacity of shelters dedicated to housing vulnerable migrant populations. This has mainly consisted of the delivery of food, personal hygiene and cleaning kits for the facilities, furnishing (chairs, tables, fans, etc.) and creating or strengthening the capacities to isolate cases with suspected symptoms of COVID-19. • Delivery of direct aid to migrants: IOM offices in the region report the delivery of aid directly to the migrant population who are not housed in shelters. This aid has consisted of deliveries of kitchen, personal and household hygiene kits, and even cash-based interventions (CBI). • Assisted Voluntary Returns have been implemented from México to Honduras and El Salvador, and from Haiti to the Dominican Republic. • Some notable interventions include the intervention of border posts to turn them into safe Points of Entry (PoE) in Haiti, the safe transportation to their homes of returned migrants in Honduras, and the setup of a filter hotel in Mexico. page 1 Regional Response to COVID-19 IOM Central America, North America and the Caribbean PANAMA IOM co-leads the Interagency Group on Human Mobility with UNHCR, monitors the situation in Migrant Reception Stations (ERM) and issues weekly advocacy reports. It also supports the Ministry of Health’s promotion and prevention strategy, specifically to identify and refer cases of migrants with signs and symptoms of COVID-19 or with other health needs. IOM coordinates with NGOs working with the migrant and refugee population and organizations of the Venezuelan diaspora to provide humanitarian assistance and refer requests for support to the relevant government agencies. Strong efforts have been made to mobilize resources for the response. UNHCR and IOM have continued the campaign Somos lo mismo (We are the same), which promotes a message of integration between nationals and foreigners. COSTA RICA In close coordination with the DGME and PAHO/WHO, a contingency plan has been prepared for the transit center for vulnerable migrants on the Nicaraguan border, including protocols for management, triage, hygiene, and isolation of possible COVID-19 cases among migrants. In addition, construction materials, two lighting towers, 12 solar lamps, 10 emergency lights, and 18 megaphones were donated to improve the facilities. IOM also delivered 1,300 N95 masks, while other personal protective equipment (PPE) and hygiene and cleaning materials are in the process of being purchased. IOM Costa Rica also provided support for the design and publication of information campaigns on the COVID-19 pandemic for the migrant population. In addition, the Municipal Centers for Migrants in Upala and Desamparados continue to perform attention and reference of cases via telephone. NICARAGUA IOM has assisted Nicaraguans that have returned to the country or who are stranded in other countries in the region. Local partner organizations have been provided with hygiene and health equipment for their own protection, as well as hygiene kits and food packages to provide to local migrant populations in need. Hygiene and health products have also been delivered to the Ministry of Education for the prevention of COVID-19 in schools. In addition, computer and health equipment have been delivered to the Ministry of Family, Adolescence, and Childhood to strengthen Line 133, which is dedicated to the preventing and addressing gender-based violence and human trafficking. Humanitarian assistance kits have been delivered to the Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadorian embassies in Nicaragua to provide to their nationals in the country. page 2 Regional Response to COVID-19 IOM Central America, North America and the Caribbean EL SALVADOR IOM El Salvador is leading the Humanitarian Country Team’s shelter committee, providing technical assistance for the proper management of quarantine centres for returning migrants. It has also provided N95 masks, gallons of alcohol gel, boxes of gloves, face shields, disposable gowns, and disposable caps for the staff leading these centres. It has also contributed to the equipment and adaptation of shelters and quarantine centres for migrants and has assisted foreign migrants and returnees by providing them with vouchers for food purchases in supermarkets, hygiene kits, snack kits and clothing. Our main partners in the emergency response have been USAID, the Peacebuilding Fund, the Salvadoran Foundation for Health and Human Development and the United States Department of State. HONDURAS IOM Honduras has provided supplies and technical assistance to the Government, to strengthen its capacities to prevent infection and protect the health of migrants. IOM donated to COPECO, the government entity leading the emergency response, more than 2,000 personal assistance kits (hygiene and food), more than 147,000 biosecurity supplies (masks, gloves, etc.) and coordinated infrastructure improvements and water and sanitation systems at the Temporary Isolation Centers (TICs) in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, where returning migrants must spend 14 days in quarantine before returning to their communities of origin. In coordination with USAID, IOM was responsible for the logistics of purchasing and transporting from Guatemala extraction kits and reagents that will enable 15,000 PCR tests for COVID-19. GUATEMALA IOM Guatemala coordinated with the Risk Management Unit of the Ministry of Health to implement reception and dignified observation processes for returned migrants. Donations of accommodation, hygiene and prevention items and masks amounting to USD $17,000 have been made for the use of personnel in charge of the reception process for returned migrants and for unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents. Information materials (banners, leaflets, brochures) were handed to the Guatemalan Migration Institute for use in reception centres and at borders. Permanent support is being provided to the San Marcos Municipal Migration Affairs Committee for the implementation of a local policy on health care and monitoring for returning migrants and for its campaign against stigma and discrimination. page 3 Regional Response to COVID-19 IOM Central America, North America and the Caribbean BELIZE IOM provided 300 personal hygiene kits to Belize’s Department of Human Services on 4 May 2020. In addition, with the support of Regional Office, IOM customized and printed 700 posters for the Ministry of Health Belize with public health recommendations for avoiding COVID-19. An additional 350 customized posters were printed and distributed to the business community and embassies. The posters will be placed in highly visible locations across the country. This assistance was provided under the PRM-funded Western Hemisphere Regional Migration Program. MEXICO IOM Mexico has focused its COVID-19 response on supporting more than 40 shelters in Mexico, providing personal hygiene kits for migrants and sanitation products for the facilities, infrared thermometers, beds, mattresses, and other non-food items. Information on how to prevent COVID-19 spread in shelters has been produced in Spanish, English and Creole, and shared with other UN agencies. In coordination with WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR and other agencies, webinars for shelter administrators and civil society partners are currently occurring on a weekly basis for capacity building purposes. Two AVR operations occurred since late April, taking home 41 migrants from El Salvador, and 42 Honduran migrants in complex actions due to the challenges with closed borders in Central America. A digital campaign on non-discrimination against migrants via Twitter and Facebook was launched between April 8-26th, reaching +470K people. CUBA IOM Cuba has provided cash support to stranded Bolivian tourists. IOM joined the “United Nations Framework for the immediate socioeconomic response to COVID-19”, that was launched by the OCR on April 28, with other UN Agencies, and is working on a matrix resulting from the effort of the Subgroup of Social Protection System. page 4 Regional Response to COVID-19 IOM Central America, North America and the Caribbean DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Since the beginning of the emergency measures, IOM in the Dominican Republic has provided support to stranded tourists, Haitian and Venezuelan migrant populations and even the Dominican diaspora abroad residing in cities impacted by COVID-19 such as New York. In cooperation with its network of NGO partners and migrant associations, IOM has distributed prevention and advocacy messages (in Spanish and Creole), rental assistance, gloves and masks, food kits and resources to restore electricity and water service to a population of over 4,000. The beneficiaries range from Haitian university
Load more

Recommended publications
  • TOWARD SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT in VENEZUELA: DIAGNOSIS, CHALLENGES and ECONOMIC STRATEGY Francisco Rodríguez1 Guillermo Guerrero2
    TOWARD SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN VENEZUELA: DIAGNOSIS, CHALLENGES AND ECONOMIC STRATEGY Francisco Rodríguez1 Guillermo Guerrero2 The Venezuelan crisis has become one of the most dramatic of Latin American history. Venezuela has had the worst economic contraction of the region, has been focus to a sharp increase in extreme poverty levels, and has become the country with the largest refugee crisis of the continent. As the situation deteriorated, data sources have also reduced drastically by the government, which renders it difficult to assess the complete depth of the country’s economic crisis and adds another layer of complexity. Despite the Venezuelan collapse being staggering, few academics studies have attempted to identify its causes. This article addresses this gap and aims to understand the drivers of Venezuelan economic downfall. We provide a comprehensive diagnosis of the Venezuelan collapse and suggest the means to put Venezuela back on the road of sustainable development. Keywords: Venezuela; economic crisis; human sustainable development. RUMO AO DESENVOLVIMENTO HUMANO SUSTENTÁVEL NA VENEZUELA: DIAGNÓSTICO, DESAFIOS E ESTRATÉGIA A crise na Venezuela tornou-se uma das mais dramáticas da história da América Latina. A Venezuela apresentou os piores índices de contração econômica da região, foi foco de um aumento substantivo dos índices de pobreza extrema, e tornou-se o país com a pior crise de refugiados do continente. Ao passo que a situação deteriorou, as fontes de dados governamentais tornaram-se mais escassas, o que adiciona mais um nível de complexidade para a crise e dificulta sua análise detalhada. A despeito da profundidade da crise venezuelana, poucos estudos acadêmicos focaram analisar suas causas.
    [Show full text]
  • NO STRANGERS at the GATE Collective Responsibility and a Region’S Response to the Venezuelan Refugee and Migration Crisis
    NO STRANGERS AT THE GATE Collective Responsibility and a Region’s Response to the Venezuelan Refugee and Migration Crisis Michael J. Camilleri and Fen Osler Hampson OCTOBER 2018 © 2018. Centre for International Governance Innovation and Inter-American Dialogue. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Centre for International Governance Innovation or its Board of Directors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – No Derivatives License. To view this license, visit (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0). For re-use or distribution, please include this copyright notice. First Edition Printed In Washington, DC Cover photo: Policia Nacional de los Colombianos / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 Layout: Tamar Ziff / Inter-American Dialogue NO STRANGERS AT THE GATE Collective Responsibility and a Region’s Response to the Venezuelan Refugee and Migration Crisis Michael J. Camilleri and Fen Osler Hampson Michael J. Camilleri is the director of the Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program at the Inter- American Dialogue in Washington, DC Fen Osler Hampson is a Distinguished Fellow and director of CIGI’s Global Security & Politics Program. He is also the Chancellor's Professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. Acknowledgments and Methodology This report was produced for the World Refugee Council American Dialogue, and Fen Osler Hampson, a Distinguished jointly by the Centre for International Governance Innovation Fellow and director of CIGI’s Global Security & Politics Program. (CIGI) and the Inter-American Dialogue in consultation with its The authors thank Liliana Araujo, Bonnie Klapper, Michael Venezuela Working Group.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Americans High Level Working Group on Inter-American Relations and Bipartisanship 2019
    Global Americans High Level Working Group on Inter-American Relations and Bipartisanship 2019 The Venezuelan Refugee Crisis: Regional Responsibility Introduction In 2017, with support from the Ford Foundation, Global Americans convened a working group of high- level former policymakers, civil society and business leaders and scholars to discuss bipartisan and cross- regional ways to build on the past two decades of inter-American relations. The initial set of policy top- ics addressed by our High-Level Working Group on Inter-American Relations and Bipartisanship are closely connected, and they reflect a long-standing hemispheric and bipartisan consensus that has helped to promote U.S. and hemispheric economic, diplomatic and security interests. In April 2018, our group, representing civil society, academia, and the policymaking and business com- munities in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, published an initial series of papers laying out members’ consensus opinions on the topics of: Economic integration and trade Combatting organized crime and narcotics trafficking Greater U.S.-Latin America collaboration on anti-corruption Expanding and improving education exchanges in the Americas Extra-hemispheric actors Now in its second phase, the group is producing a further three papers on the topics of: The Venezuelan refugee crisis A comprehensive strategy for addressing climate change in the Caribbean The role of Latin America in global geopolitics The collapse of Venezuela under the Hugo Chávez regime, followed by Nicolás Maduro’s government, is a complicated, tragic issue with many facets. In this paper our group focuses on how the countries of the Americas, as well as the international community, must work together to address what has quickly be- come one of the worst refugee crises in modern times.
    [Show full text]
  • Doralzuelan: an Emerging Identity of the Venezuelan Immigrant in Southern Florida
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ASU Digital Repository Doralzuelan: An Emerging Identity of the Venezuelan Immigrant in Southern Florida by Blanca Romero Pino A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Approved June 2018 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Karen Adams, Chair Matthew Prior Doris Warriner ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY August 2018 ABSTRACT The steady influx of Venezuelan immigrants to the United States has resulted in the creation of a close-knit community of these immigrants in the city of Doral, Florida, now nicknamed Doralzuela given the strong imprint Venezuelan have left in this city. This study aimed at gaining understanding on how the process of immigration and settlement in the context has affected Venezuelan immigrants’ identity, their perception and use of English and Spanish in daily interactions, and how, or if, their bonds with the home country has affected their incorporation to the host society. The study followed a qualitative design. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed following Riessman’s (2008) notion of dialogic narrative analysis. Six themes emerged from the data; (re)configuration of the self, the role of social networks, negotiating identity through language, issues of assimilation, transnational identity, and Doralzuela, the new Venezuela. These themes were discussed, and multiple and distinct views on each theme were identified. i DEDICATION To my family, for giving me their unconditional love To Shea, for being my rock To Venezuela, for being my source of inspiration ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe my eternal gratitude to so many people who have helped me, not on the completion of this thesis, but throughout my entire master’s program.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding the Characteristics of Remittance Recipients in Venezuela: a Country in Economic Crisis
    Undergraduate Economic Review Volume 16 Issue 1 Article 3 2019 Understanding the Characteristics of Remittance Recipients in Venezuela: A Country in Economic Crisis Nicole A. Degla University of Notre Dame, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/uer Part of the Econometrics Commons, International Relations Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, and the Macroeconomics Commons Recommended Citation Degla, Nicole A. (2019) "Understanding the Characteristics of Remittance Recipients in Venezuela: A Country in Economic Crisis," Undergraduate Economic Review: Vol. 16 : Iss. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/uer/vol16/iss1/3 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Commons @ IWU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this material in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This material has been accepted for inclusion by faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ©Copyright is owned by the author of this document. Understanding the Characteristics of Remittance Recipients in Venezuela: A Country in Economic Crisis Abstract This essay analyzes household surveys from the World Bank Global Financial Inclusion Database for the years 2011, 2014, and 2017, as a means to distinguish individual level characteristics of remittance recipients in Venezuela.
    [Show full text]
  • How Exile Shapes Online Opposition: Evidence from Venezuela
    Working Paper Series Working Paper No. 21-01 How Exile Shapes Online Opposition: Evidence from Venezuela Jane Esberg and Alexandra Siegel IPL working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been formally peer reviewed. © 2021 by Jane Esberg and Alexandra Siegel. All rights reserved. How Exile Shapes Online Opposition: Evidence from Venezuela Jane Esberg∗ Alexandra Siegel†‡ February 22, 2021 Abstract How does exile a↵ect online dissent? We argue that exile not only fragments opposition movements but fundamentally alters how they express opposition, because it interna- tionalizes their networks and removes them from day-to-day life under the regime. Providing the first large-scale, quantitative study of the e↵ects of exile on online dis- sent, we show that after exile Venezuelan activists 1) increase discussion of and support for foreign-led solutions to Venezuela’s political and economic crisis—including military intervention, sanctions, and diplomacy; 2) decrease discussion of local political dynam- ics; and 3) express harsher criticisms of the Maduro regime. Our analysis of over 5 million tweets sent by 357 activists over seven years suggests that the internationaliza- tion of networks is one mechanism by which exile shapes how activists communicate. After exile, activists increase their interactions with foreign entities and international actors and tweet in English at higher rates. Providing temporally granular individual- level measures of activists’ behavior, this work contributes to our understanding of the relationship between exile—one of the most ubiquitous yet understudied forms of repression—and dissent in the digital age. ∗Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton’s Empirical Studies of Conflict Program and the International Crisis Group.
    [Show full text]
  • Where Are Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees Going? an Analysis of Legal and Social Contexts in Receiving Countries
    Where Are Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees Going? An Analysis of Legal and Social Contexts in Receiving Countries George Wolfe Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP I. Executive Summary Almost 5.5 million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2014, when the nation’s population was 30.1 million (Response 4 Venezuela (“R4V”) Platform 2020).1 The unprecedented flow of Venezuelans has put “further pressure on regional hosts Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, where rising restrictions and xenophobia are already making life harder for refugees and migrants” (Dupraz-Dobias 2019). According to the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), “[w]hile responses to the Venezuelan arrivals have varied by country and continue to evolve with events on the ground, the displacement crisis has affected the entire region, as neighboring countries, particularly Colombia, strain to absorb arrivals often malnourished and in poor health.” (CRS 2020a). The mass exodus has drained Venezuela of a substantial portion of its professional and educated workforce. The severe mismanagement of Venezuela under the Nicolas Maduro regime has turned the once richest nation in South America into a failed state. According to the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, the Venezuelan economy has been ravaged to the point that “millions cannot afford the bare minimum of food, water, and health care.” (Cortes 2019). In response, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is calling upon nations to help support Venezuelan migrants and their host nations, particularly Colombia, Brazil, and Peru (UN Refugee Agency 2020). Host nations have granted legal status to over 2.4 million Venezuelans.
    [Show full text]
  • Venezuela Regional Migration Crisis: Who Are the Children Most at Risk?
    FINAL REPORT VENEZUELA REGIONAL MIGRATION CRISIS: WHO ARE THE CHILDREN MOST AT RISK? An analysis of shifting vulnerabilities in the border departments of Colombia (Arauca and La Guajira) Save the Children Colombia March 2019 Foreword Save the Children is strongly involved in the humanitarian response in Colombia as well as in For over 30 years, Save the Children Colombia has other neighbouring countries. Across the region, we been responding to emergencies related to the internal are committed to reach every last child and to unveil armed conflict and natural disasters. For the first time, the current gaps to the accomplishment of their rights. the organisation is responding to an international That is why we commissioned a study identifying who migration crisis of unprecedented proportions. Since were the children most at risk in the context of this 2015, our teams have reached pregnant adolescents, particular crisis, focusing on the two border departments mothers forced to bury their child along the way to of Colombia (Arauca and La Guajira). In our day-to-day Colombia, young adults at risk of being recruited by work, we observe that migratory patterns are dynamic, armed groups, and entire families who crossed the and that populations sometimes present cumulative layers border from Venezuela with little but hope. Economic of vulnerability. Save the Children needed a systematic and institutional challenges, as well as repeated exposure analysis of the impact of the crisis on children, including to violence, more often than not await Venezuelans and with a gender lens, with concrete recommendations Colombian returnees in countries to which they have to inform our programmes and that of our partners.
    [Show full text]
  • Experiences of Second-Generation Venezuelan-Portuguese Migrants
    ‘Roots migration’: The post-‘return’ experiences of second-generation Venezuelan-Portuguese migrants Ramnyra Gabriela da Silva Isturiz Dissertação de Mestrado em Migrações, Interetnicidades e Transnacionalismo Dezembro, 2020 Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Migrações, Interetnicidades e Transnacionalismo, realizada sob a orientação científica do Professor Doutor José Manuel Mapril Lisboa, Dezembro 2020 ‘ROOTS MIGRATION’: THE POST-‘RETURN’ EXPERIENCES OF SECOND- GENERATION VENEZUELAN-PORTUGUESE MIGRANTS [Ramnyra Gabriela da Silva Isturiz] Abstract: Luso-Venezuelan ‘returnees’ have been moving from Venezuela to Madeira since the 1990s. In recent years, they have arrived in masses, as a result of the ongoing crisis that hit the country after the severe global crash in oil prices. This study focuses on ‘roots migration’, specifically on the experiences of second-generation ‘returnees’ from Venezuela to Madeira, as an important part of the historic phenomenon of emigration from Portugal to Venezuela that started in the 1940s, with a clear majority departing from Madeira island. Drawing on fieldwork based on semi-directed interviews, the aim is to understand the circumstances in which the decision to relocate to Madeira takes place, and how the migration experience develops upon return. Taking into consideration and highlighting these individuals’ upbringing as children of well-integrated immigrants, we look at the way these migrants negotiate their identities and belonging, and how their constructions of the self and home influence their expectations and lived experience in the ancestral homeland. Abstrato: ‘Retornados’ Luso-Venezuelanos têm chegado à Madeira vindos da Venezuela, desde a década de 1990, e nos últimos anos, têm chegado em números significativos, como resultado da atual crise que o país tem atravessado desde a grave quebra global dos preços do petróleo.
    [Show full text]
  • Refugees in Roraima: (Im)Mobility of Venezuelan Migrants in Brazil
    Refugees in Roraima: (im)Mobility of Venezuelan Migrants in Brazil Research Thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirement for graduation with research distinction in the undergraduate colleges of The Ohio State University by Jaret Waters The Ohio State University April 2021 Project Advisor: Dr. Kendra McSweeney, Department of Geography Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 2 Chapter I: Migration as a geographical issue .................................................................................. 3 The spatial gap in current work on the Venezuelan diaspora ..................................................... 3 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 6 The intersection of new mobilities scholarship and migration studies: a theoretical approach 10 Structure of the thesis................................................................................................................ 14 Chapter II: Geopolitical and colonial mobility in Roraima over time .......................................... 15 Chapter III: Roraima as a deterritorialized zone of migration ...................................................... 24 From Venezuela to Brazil ......................................................................................................... 24 Operação Acolhida: designations of official channels of
    [Show full text]
  • Pdf | 423.38 Kb
    SUMMARY OF R4V ACTIVITIES December 2020 GUYANA REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS IN PEOPLE REACHED WITH SOME FUNDING SITUATION*** COUNTRY* FORM OF ASSISTANCE** FUNDED: $7.22 MILLION REQUIREMENT: $ 13 MILLION 22,000 1,001 Situation COVID-19 CASES AND RESULTING DEATHS IN GUYANA APRIL-DEC 2020. • By the end of December, Guyana reported 6,332 total cases of COVID-19 recorded, 348 ac�ve 7000 cases and moved to 164 deaths. 6000 • Emergency measures remained intact; curfews con�nued from 10:30 p.m. to 04:30 a.m. Large 5000 gatherings remained prohibited even as the 4000 Christmas shopping season started. Bars stayed closed while restaurants facilitated outdoor 3000 dining and takeout services. Hotels and resorts 2000 reopened, and airports remained open to 1000 Interna�onal flights. Schools closed-off classes for the Christmas vaca�on period. Remote 0 Regions 1 and 7 saw an increase in COVID-19 cases. Law enforcement con�nued to patrol the streets to enforce mask wearing as part of the ongoing opera�on Covi-curb opera�on. Cases Deaths • On 5 December the Health Ministry set protocols for the re-opening of the Source: htps://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/guyana/ Guyana-Suriname border areas, as law enforcement con�nued patrolling border areas with limited resources and as challenges con�nued with irregular crossings. • COVID-19 restric�ons con�nued to contribute to high unemployment rates amongst host community members as well as refugees and migrants. Many remained in financial difficul�es, and the need for shelter, food, NFIs (including hygiene products) remained among the highest needs.
    [Show full text]
  • Latin Americas Evolving Migration Crisis
    DIIS POLICY BRIEF MARCH 2019 Venezuelans flee accelerating collapse LATIN AMERICAS EVOLVING MIGRATION CRISIS Venezuela is facing a deep economic, political, RECOMMENDATIONS and social crisis, with acute shortages of food, medicine and other basic goods. Over 3.4 ■ The exodus illustrates increasing difficulty distin- million Venezuelans, a tenth of the population, guishing between voluntary and forced migration. have left the country, presenting Latin America To overcome barriers in accessing protection and with an unprecedented migration crisis. social services, migrants and refugees must be However, diaspora engagement in humani- granted legal status in receiving countries. tarian efforts could also be part of the solution ■ The migration crisis is politicized by many actors. to the crisis. Supply routes for vital humanitarian assistance are needed, but historical experiences should Latin America is experiencing one of the largest warn against the use of military force or other displacement crises in its history with Venezuelan forms of intervention. migrants and refuges crossing into or transiting ■ UN efforts to complement humanitarian help through neighbouring countries such as Colombia, with development assistance to poorer reception Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, before reaching destinations areas should be supported. Ways to connect the further afield in the Southern Cone (Argentina and Venezuelan diaspora to ongoing humanitarian and Chile), Central America and Mexico, and smaller island future development efforts directed at Venezuela states in the Caribbean. During 2018 over 838,000 should also be pursued. Venezuelans exited Colombia, of whom more than 70 A growing number of countries in the region are introducing restrictions on regular migration and reinstating visa requirements for Venezuelans.
    [Show full text]