North Macedonia's policy responses to migration and asylum in the era of COVID-19

Kosevaliska, Olga and Ivanova, Elena (2020) North Macedonia's policy responses to migration and asylum in the era of COVID-19. In: M.A.P.S Conference hosted by Queen Mary University of London 11 December 2020 Conflicting Responses to Refugees and Migrants in Covid-19 Europe – Vulnerability, Hostility and the Prospects of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, 11 Dec 2020, Queen Mary, School of Law, London United Kindom .

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Abstract

From the middle of March, in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 North Macedonia, announced the closure of all crossing points of its borders on national territory and, in the period that followed, the country declared the state of emergency to prevent high numbers of infected of COVID-19. The measures that were taken to contain the spread of the virus included strict hours of curfew during working days and complete lock downs during weekends and holidays. Despite the deep impact that these restrictions had upon the local population, they heavily impacted upon migrants and asylum seekers residing in transit centers or refugee facilities, but also, upon migrants and asylum seekers who were trying to find their way through the Balkan route to reach Europe. For example, the ones that were within the country suffered health restrictions, tightening rules regarding freedom of movement, limiting access to asylum procedures and access to adequate accommodation; while the others that were trying to cross the county irregularly suffered illegal pushbacks and border violence practices. Based on this, the presentation will focus on North Macedonia’s policy responses towards migrants and refugees after the outbreak of COVID-19.

Key words: illegal migrants, asylum seekers, North Macedonia, Covid -19, health protocols, smuggling, reception facilities, human rights.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Subjects: Social Sciences > Law
Divisions: Faculty of Law
Depositing User: Olga Kosevaliska
Date Deposited: 27 Jan 2021 20:12
Last Modified: 27 Jan 2021 20:12
URI: https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/id/eprint/27249

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