The coronavirus pandemic is having a profound impact on global migration and mobility trends. Refugees, already particularly vulnerable, risk to be disproportionately affected. As countries across the world have closed their borders to contain the spread of the virus, many have made no exception to the admission of asylum seekers. In destination and transit countries, refugees are particularly at risk due to limited access to healthcare and sanitation facilities. The journey from Africa to Europe, already life-threatening before the pandemic, has thus become even more dangerous. Nonetheless, as media attention turned towards other problems, asylum seekers still tried to leave Libya.
How will the coronavirus pandemic affect refugees, both within Africa and in their journey to Europe?