ReliefWeb

61,869,330 Confirmed cases in over 200 countries, territories or areas

1,448,896 Deaths from COVID-19

107,830 Travel related measures have been issued by 224 countries, territories or areas

$296 M Received by IOM for its Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for Coronavirus 2019

SITUATION OVERVIEW

COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly across the globe. As of 30 November, and since the outbreak began in December 2019, close to 62 million confirmed cases have been reported and the world is approaching 1.5 million deaths. Confirmed cases have been reported in more than 200 countries/ territories/areas. The European Region accounts for the greatest proportion of reported new cases, followed by the Americas, and the Eastern-Mediterranean and African regions.

The global pandemic continues to have a substantial effect on global migration and mobility. Between 2 - 23 November 2020, a total of 224 countries, territories or areas have issued 107,830 travel related measures indicating an increase of eight per cent from 100,065 reported on 2 November 2020. Of these, 78,790 are conditions for authorized entry such as medical requirements while 29,040 are travel restrictions such as airport closures and passenger bans. In this reporting period, there has been an increase of 10 per cent in conditions for entry and a two per cent increase in travel restrictions. In terms of conditions for entry, there was an increase of 91 per cent in location surveillance such as Passenger Locator Forms and a 13 per cent increase in visa requirements for entry. In terms of restrictions, there was a 200 per cent increase in visa suspensions and invalidations and a 42 per cent increase in restrictions on passengers arriving from specific country, territory or areas.

In parallel to existing travel related measures, a total of 170 countries, territories or areas have issued 773 exceptions enabling mobility. As of 23 November 2020, 19 countries, territories or areas have issued 31 new exceptions whilst 11 countries, territories or areas removed 27 exceptions.

As the pandemic’s effects continue to vary widely across world regions, mobile populations encounter diverse challenges depending on the policy and epidemiological contexts in their sending, transit, and receiving areas. Regulations and measures are evolving rapidly, and mobile populations often lack timely, accurate information about these changes. These populations are also frequently in vulnerable socioeconomic situations and have been especially impacted by the global economic downturn generated by the pandemic, which has in turn reduced remittances and heightened food insecurity. Furthermore, in crisis contexts, COVID-19 has exacerbated existing gaps in access to basic services and protection challenges, particularly for the most vulnerable groups, and has often generated xenophobia and discrimination against mobile populations. To address these and other questions, IOM missions around the world are working with governments and partners to ensure that migrants, whether in regular or irregular situations, as well as returnees and forcibly displaced persons, are included in all aspects of COVID-19 preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.