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World Cup & Expo 2020 Construction: COVID-19 & Risks to Migrant Workers in Qatar & the UAE

Migrant workers to Gulf countries - most from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Kenya – live in tightly packed, often unsanitary, labour camps – conditions perfect for the spread of COVID-19. An outbreak among construction workers in a labour camp in Qatar prompted a swift lockdown of thousands of workers, including workers on infrastructure projects linked to the 2022 World Cup. This lockdown has led to claims the labour camps have become a “virtual prison” and raised concerns for worker welfare, including that workers do not have access to necessary sanitation, are not being given clear information regarding the outbreak, and are being laid off without wages or a promise of re-hiring.