A cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause, detected in Wuhan, China, were first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Office in China on 31st December 2019; eventually they were later identified as novel corona virus-2019 (COVID-19 for short). The rapid propagation of COVID-19 has required governments of all countries to implement strategies to mitigate its impacts, preventing and suppressing community transmission to protect the life of the citizens and address the challenges imposed on the health systems. Physical distancing, large-scale movement restrictions, lockdown of economic activities and school closures, have been the most common measures implemented at different stages, and to different degrees, in all countries worldwide [Venditto et al. forthcoming]. The Global Migration Data Analysis Centre indicates that in 14 out of 20 countries with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, immigrants represented 3.7 per cent of the population; in more than nine of them this proportion was higher than 7 per cent. The consequences of the COVID-19 infection pose enormous challenges for international and internal human mobility. National lockdowns, border closures, tightening of immigration laws and health regulations, both in the countries of origin and destination, have hindered mobility, reducing new arrivals of both regular/documented and irregular/undocumented migrants, while making it very difficult for refugees and asylum seekers to apply for international protection. it appears that with the easing of the restrictions such patterns have started to reverse, as indicated by the fact that the first four months of the 2021 have shown a resurgence of border crossings. Overall, looking at the broad picture, it may be said that since the appearance of COVID-19, migration patterns have been significantly disrupted. It may be inferred that what is experienced with the impact of COVID-19 transmission, particularly for the vulnerable, is the result of a syndemic rather than a pandemic, as suggested by Horton [2020]. Unlike the pandemic, which indicates the spread of an infectious agent in the human body more or less indistinctly with the same speed and severity everywhere, a syndemic, in this case, entails a relationship between the disease and the socio-economic conditions, whose interaction strengthens and aggravates each of them. This approach [Singer et al. 2017], makes it possible to better understand the evolution and spread of diseases given the context in which they spread. Re-proposed in relation to the migration-COVID-19 nexus, the concept focuses on the fact that the virus has a greater impact on the most marginalized, vulnerable populations, who often live in poverty. This suggests that the strategy of concentrating efforts exclusively on health aspects in the medium to long term may be ineffective: to com- bat a syndemic it is also necessary to work towards removing existing inequalities.
Socio-economic impact of Covid 19 infection on human mobility: Evidences and perceptions on immigrants in Italy
Venditto B;Caruso I
2022
Abstract
A cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause, detected in Wuhan, China, were first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Office in China on 31st December 2019; eventually they were later identified as novel corona virus-2019 (COVID-19 for short). The rapid propagation of COVID-19 has required governments of all countries to implement strategies to mitigate its impacts, preventing and suppressing community transmission to protect the life of the citizens and address the challenges imposed on the health systems. Physical distancing, large-scale movement restrictions, lockdown of economic activities and school closures, have been the most common measures implemented at different stages, and to different degrees, in all countries worldwide [Venditto et al. forthcoming]. The Global Migration Data Analysis Centre indicates that in 14 out of 20 countries with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, immigrants represented 3.7 per cent of the population; in more than nine of them this proportion was higher than 7 per cent. The consequences of the COVID-19 infection pose enormous challenges for international and internal human mobility. National lockdowns, border closures, tightening of immigration laws and health regulations, both in the countries of origin and destination, have hindered mobility, reducing new arrivals of both regular/documented and irregular/undocumented migrants, while making it very difficult for refugees and asylum seekers to apply for international protection. it appears that with the easing of the restrictions such patterns have started to reverse, as indicated by the fact that the first four months of the 2021 have shown a resurgence of border crossings. Overall, looking at the broad picture, it may be said that since the appearance of COVID-19, migration patterns have been significantly disrupted. It may be inferred that what is experienced with the impact of COVID-19 transmission, particularly for the vulnerable, is the result of a syndemic rather than a pandemic, as suggested by Horton [2020]. Unlike the pandemic, which indicates the spread of an infectious agent in the human body more or less indistinctly with the same speed and severity everywhere, a syndemic, in this case, entails a relationship between the disease and the socio-economic conditions, whose interaction strengthens and aggravates each of them. This approach [Singer et al. 2017], makes it possible to better understand the evolution and spread of diseases given the context in which they spread. Re-proposed in relation to the migration-COVID-19 nexus, the concept focuses on the fact that the virus has a greater impact on the most marginalized, vulnerable populations, who often live in poverty. This suggests that the strategy of concentrating efforts exclusively on health aspects in the medium to long term may be ineffective: to com- bat a syndemic it is also necessary to work towards removing existing inequalities.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
