Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) technical guidance: Humanitarian operations, camps, and other fragile settings as well as refugees and migrants in non-humanitarian and non-camp settings

To view all of WHO’s country and technical guidance on COVID-19 please visit our publications hub

Preparedness, prevention and control of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for refugees and migrants in non-camp settings – Interim guidance

Refugees and migrants face similar health threats from COVID-19 as their host populations. However, inadequate access to essential services and exclusion may makes early detection, testing, diagnosis, contact tracing and seeking care for COVID-19 difficult for refugees and migrants thus increasing the risk of outbreaks in these population and presenting an additional threat to public health. This document offers guidance to Member States and partners for the inclusion of refugees and migrants, as part of holistic efforts to respond to COVID-19 epidemics in the general populations.

- Access the publication (Uploaded on 17 April 2020)

Interim Guidance on Scaling-up COVID-19 Outbreak in Readiness and Response Operations in Camps and Camp-like Settings (jointly developed by IFRC, IOM, UNHCR and WHO)

People affected by humanitarian crises, particularly those displaced and/or living in camps and camp-like settings, are often faced with specific challenges and vulnerabilities that must be taken into consideration when planning for readiness and response operations for the COVID-19 outbreak. They are frequently neglected, stigmatized, and may face difficulties in accessing health services that are otherwise available to the general population. In the context of this Interim Guidance, the people in humanitarian situations affected by this guidance may include internally displaced persons (IDPs), host communities, asylum seekers, refugees and returnees, and migrants when in similar situations. While further adaptations might be needed for some population groups, including those living in slums this interim guidance is issued to assist field staff to immediately respond to urgent needs.

COVID-19: How to include marginalized and vulnerable people in risk communication and community engagement

Women, the elderly, adolescents, youth, and children, persons with disabilities, indigenous populations, refugees, migrants, and minorities experience the highest degree of socio-economic marginalization. Marginalized people become even more vulnerable in emergencies. This is due to factors such as their lack of access to effective surveillance and early-warning systems, and health services. The COVID-19 outbreak is predicted to have significant impacts on various sectors.

Interim guidance on public health and social measures for COVID-19 preparedness and response in low capacity and humanitarian settings

People affected by humanitarian crises and those living in low capacity settings are differently impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. In these settings, critical measures for COVID-19 prevention and control that have been a feature of the response in higher resource settings may be more difficult to implement and some of them potentially harmful to the survival of many community members. In addition, capacities for testing, isolating and treating those who develop the disease, tracing and quarantining contacts may be severely lacking locally owing to weaker health systems. Public health and social measures in these settings need to be balanced against other risks affecting their communities, such as lack of income, access to basic services and social nets, and food insecurity. They also need to be pragmatic and leverage the strengths of the local structures and systems, notably through social mobilization and strong community engagement. This Interim Guidance outlines how key public health and social measures needed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread and the impact of the disease can be adapted for use in low capacity and humanitarian settings. The Guidance is intended for humanitarian and development actors of all operational levels working with communities, as well as local authorities involved in COVID-19 preparedness and response operations in these settings, in support of national and local governments and plans.