There are more than a million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, with 855,000 of them living in squalid and cramped conditions in a refugee camp. So far, there are no reported cases of coronavirus in the camps, but people there know it is only a matter of time.
Bangladesh is not a rich country. When Coronavirus spreads further it won’t be able to look after its own population, let alone more than a million Rohingya refugees.
But at the moment Bangladesh is making it harder for aid agencies, local charities and the Rohingya themselves to make preparations to fight the virus.
The government has banned internet access for the refugees, stopping mobile phone operators providing services there. That is making it harder for agencies and communities to communicate and organise, and also preventing essential life-saving information from reaching people.
They also have lots of restrictions on international aid agencies operating in the camps. Local charities face fewer restrictions but still can’t operate freely. Rohingya community groups in the camps also face restrictions on what they can do.
Bangladesh needs to urgently lift the internet ban and all restrictions on aid agencies and the Rohingya themselves, so that they can do everything they can to prepare for when the coronavirus hits the camps and try to minimize the impact as much as possible.
