LettersWhere will coronavirus pandemic leave Rohingya refugees now living in packed Bangladesh camps?

The international community must offer medical support, testing kits, data and funding to support the response in vulnerable communities

After the pandemic, it must ensure issues are resolved in Myanmar to allow Rohingya refugees to return home

2-MIN READ2-MIN

A young Rohingya refugee shelters under an umbrella as he makes his way amid monsoon rains at Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh on September 12, 2019. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:25am, 29 Mar 2020Updated: 11:19am, 29 Mar 2020

With reports of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in Cox’s Bazar, it’s just a matter of time until the virus reaches the vulnerable population living in cramped conditions in the largest refugee settlement on earth. Thousands could die.

As global life grinds to a halt in a bid to contain the coronavirus, we must remember that life for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has already been in limbo for years. Life in a refugee camp should never be considered an acceptable long-term solution.

We must challenge perceptions that because the Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar escaped Myanmar with their lives, they are safe. The coronavirus is a warning to us that we don’t have endless time to resolve the issues in Myanmar that would finally allow the Rohingya to return home.

We are now witnessing the impact that coronavirus is having on communities that can practice social distancing, regularly wash hands and have access to strong health care systems. This virus has still brought them to their knees.

In the densely packed camps of Cox’s Bazar, options for social distancing or self-isolation are remote, with many refugees living in cramped conditions in makeshift shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin. Even simple hygiene practices such as regular handwashing become complicated feats of logistical planning when access to clean water is severely limited.

We will do whatever we can to work with the government of Bangladesh and Rohingya refugees to protect them from Covid-19. But the fact remains that Rohingya children should not be living in these camps. They should not have to fight a global pandemic with the bare minimum needed to survive.