The Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected numerous countries across the world. The loss of life, paralysis of the healthcare systems, severe restrictions on the movement of people and goods due to social distancing and other restrictive measures employed to stop the spread of the virus, have become the norm for societies on all continents. The impact of the pandemic on the economic and social spheres is yet to materialize in full force.
Amidst the crisis, there is one population that is particularly vulnerable: refugees. Exposed to the rampant spread of the virus in overcrowded camps, where social distancing measures are near impossible to implement, already living in poverty and with almost non-existent economic opportunities, and subject to discrimination and hostility, refugees are extremely exposed to the brutal impact of the pandemic.
This is why we at the Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity decided to produce a series of analysis of this impact on Syrian refugees in countries which host the largest numbers of Syrians. The first such analysis will focus on Lebanon, where the situation facing Syrian refugees was dire even before the pandemic struck, due to the economic crisis rocking the country.
