The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected global mobility both in terms of international mobility restrictions and restrictive measures on internal movement. To better understand how COVID-19 affects global mobility, IOM has developed a global mobility database to gather, map and track data on these restrictive measures impacting movement. This report provides a global perspective of the COVID-19-related measures and restrictions imposed by countries, territories and areas impacting internal movements, as well as the resulting effects on stranded migrants and other population categories. The information in this report relies on a compilation of inputs from multiple sources, including from IOM staff in the field, DTM reports on flow monitoring and mobility tracking.
Data has been collected between 13 March and 9 July 2020. Data for 5 per cent of the assessed locations has been updated since the beginning of July, with 34 per cent of the assessed locations that have been updated in June, while 21 per cent was last updated in May. The data for the remaining assessed internal locations was last updated before May (specifically, 25% in April and 15% in March).
Through this exercise, IOM collected information about 176 C/T/As across all IOM regions. Among these, 47 per cent (83 C/T/As) declared a national emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic and 78 per cent introduced some sort of mobility restriction. Some restrictive measures that have been adopted are quarantine for all international arrivals (64%) and the suspension of the issuance of new visas (40%). On the other hand, some facilitations for stranded populations have also been adopted, such as the automatic extension of expired visas and working permits (31%) and the removal of fines for visa overstays and expired residency and working permits (35%).
Key Locations of Internal Mobility (Internal Transit Points, Areas of Interest, and Sites with Populations of Interest):
- IOM assessed 1,424 key locations across 140 C/T/As, including 381 internal transit points, 404 areas of interest and 639 sites with population of interest.
- Assessed internal transit points and areas of interest were mostly situated in Asia and the Pacific, while the highest number of assessed sites with population of interest were from the East and Horn of Africa and the European Economic Area.
- 52 per cent of the assessed internal transit points were fully operational, with 23 and 21 per cent which were respectively either fully closed or partially operational. Moreover, 49 per cent of the assessed internal transit points had introduced medical measures within the location.
- The most common restrictive measures in place in the assessed areas of interest included the cancellation of public events (56% of the assessed areas), school closure (54%), restricted operating hours for public establishments (46%) and alternative working arrangements (44%). Moreover, non-essential movements outside home were restricted in 30 per cent of the assessed areas while lockdown or quarantine measures were enforced by police or military in 41 per cent of the cases.
- Stranded foreign nationals were reported in 60 per cent of the assessed sites with populations of interest, while in 22 and 14 per cent of cases respectively nationals and foreign nationals on their way to their country of origin were reported to be present in the assessed sites with population of interest.
IOM COVID-19 Impact on Key Locations of Internal Mobility Weekly Analysis is meant to serve IOM Member States, IOM, UN and voluntary partner agencies, the civil society (including media) as well as the general population in analysing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on different key locations impacting internal mobility. It is particularly relevant when identifying and addressing specific needs faced by migrants and mobile populations, disproportionately affected by the global mobility restrictions.
The report is based on information provided by IOM field staff, using resources available at the IOM country office level and is accurate to the best of IOM’s knowledge at the time of compilation. All information is being constantly validated, including the geo-location and attributes, and through regular assessments and triangulation of information. The updates depend on the time frame within which the information becomes available and is processed by IOM. For this reason, the analysis is always dated and timestamped in order to reflect the reality at a given time. However, as the situation continuously evolves and changes, despite IOM’s best efforts, the analysis may not always accurately reflect the multiple and simultaneous restrictive measures being imposed at a specific location.
Please read the full report below.
