Challenging, but possible: respite for asylum seekers during the pandemic

The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a deleterious effect on the migrant community, but they are not being left to deal with the crisis alone. “In times of crisis, minorities are always negatively affected as they have no contact with the main community,” Mauro Farrugia, CEO for the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) told MaltaToday when contacted for comment.

“You have a majority being law abiding citizens who obey health recommendations. We bridge the gap [between migrant communities and the larger Maltese one]. You also have a minority of people who are affected by anxiety.”

AWAS runs Malta’s open centres, the largest of which are in Hal Far with just over 1,000 residents. AWAS employs around 200 workers, but this number has gone down recently as a result of quarantine regulations. New facilities are being set up in a Ħal Far hangar and a new reception centre is being set up by the Red Cross.

AWAS also has a program for resettling migrants in the community. At present there are around 500 resettled migrants in the community, Farrugia said.

Farrugia said his staff had been preparing for the pandemic since the beginning of the year. “We had a plan and started handing out items before the pandemic was declared. Some weeks ago, we had arranged with the UNHCR for information leaflets to be printed in the necessary languages and we started distributing hand washes and other things.”

“Luckily COVID-19 isn’t hitting us as hard as we expected... The education campaign worked.”

“I was at Ħal Far on Friday, when we started distributing our stock of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and food. You will always have people on  social media who will speculate on the situation but this doesn’t help as this will create panic amongst the residents. When they hear reports that supplies are running low they start to worry, but supplies were never running low,” he insists.

AWAS works closely with NGOs and other entities. On Thursday the agency received a welcome donation of 2000 face masks from ST Microelectronics, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry for Home Affairs, National Security & Law Enforcement. They were always open to anyone who was willing to donate protective gear or provide any other form of assistance, as long as it didn’t pose a danger, Farrugia said. That, however, rules out donations of clothing at the moment as these could carry the virus into the centres, it was explained.

Boredom and excessive routine were issues of concern, Farrugia said. “We are trying to vary things for the residents,” explained the AWAS CEO. “We can’t give them hand soap and sanitizer every day and the same food. We try to introduce something new everyday, from games to internet access and different varieties of food.”

Mauro Farrugia, AWAS chief executive

Migrants who lost their jobs due to the pandemic were entitled to financial assistance from the government as long as they had been legally employed before the pandemic, Farrugia explained. “They are entitled to government schemes if their work is legal. We promote legal employment. On site, we have a team of social workers who are liaising with employers if the employee is unable to go to work because of the situation.”

Food distribution procedures had been amended to reduce contact and the possibility of transmission of the virus.

“Prior to the coronavirus crisis, we had changed our Standard Operating Procedures.” From distributing water, fruit, tobacco and other, more substantial items… all these practises changed. We started measuring temperatures and practising social distancing as much as possible very early. We work around the clock with a roster, in conjunction with the health department. A plan is in place,” Farrugia insists.

In addition to this, an emergency response team spent 12 hours a day in the centre, going from cabin to cabin to monitor for any health issues among the residents. According to Farrugia, anxiety is on top of the list and partly for this reason, residents have online access to psychologists and counsellors from Monday to Sunday.

“I have enormous admiration for my staff for their work,” Farrugia said. “We have a good relationship with the infectious diseases department and public sector doctors and nurses. Generally, we use government services. Over and above this, to avoid overloading the health system, we have finalized two projects with the Red Cross – an isolation unit and another medical unit in Ħal Far.

Asked about the residents’ current psychological state, Farrugia said that things were not easy, but that the situation was stable. “We use our interpreters: they are a vital investment. We must always be culturally sensitive in passing on messages. Nobody is enjoying spending 15 days cooped up inside. It is not an easy time. We are assuring them that things will carry on.”

The AWAS CEO remains hopeful about the future: “This is something that we will beat. It is frustrating, but we will give it our 100%.”