Beyond Covid Skepticism: Humanitarian Assistance To Refugees And Hyper Precarity During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan are the main host countries for more than five million displaced Syrians since the start of war in Syria in 2011. Turkey hosts over 3.5 million Syrian refugees, making the most significant number of registered Syrian refugees globally and the top host country. Concerning the country’s national asylum law, Syrians are granted Temporary Protection status, giving them access to residency, education, health care and employment. In Lebanon, the Government estimates 1.5 million Syrians, making it the largest number of Syrian refugees per capita. As of 2021, the UNHCR has identified 887,853 people of concern. Lebanon is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, and therefore hosts Syrians without giving them refugee status. The number of Syrian refugees in Jordan as of mid-2022 was 660,000, some 128,00 of them lived in camps (UNHCR 2022). Overall, most Syrian refugees in these countries live in urban areas, with only 1 out of 20 accommodated in refugee camps (UNHCR 2022). During the pandemic, each country has experienced different infection waves that are hard to trace. Nevertheless, it was clear that the lives of refugees in these countries, overwhelmingly Syrians, are severely impacted due to COVID-19.