Two hotels in Brussels with a combined capacity of 220 spaces have been hosting migrants who do not have access to official or associative housing services. This was an initiative of the regional authorities in Brussels in an effort to help migrants during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here
Contact: Geert de Roep and Antoine Umbrain
Integreat is a mobile guide for refugees and migrants, used by over 60 municipalities in Germany. The contents of the mobile guide, however, are tailored to local needs and contain local information. In response to the current COVID-19 situation, multilingual information has been added to the guide. The aim is to inform and educate all citizens as best as possible – regardless of their mother tongue and background. The mobile guide is for free and for Nuremberg currently available in seven languages (German, English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Russian and Amharic). Read more here
Contact: Siegfried Zelnhefer
In order to ensure as many people as possible have access to health care and other public services, the Portuguese government is offering a temporary citizenship to people who have residency applications underway. Read more here and see a compilation of good practices for migrant community outreach here
In Odemira (Portugal) reside a significant number of foreign agricultural workers who often live in close quarters. The area hasn’t had many cases of COVID-19 yet, but the municipality believes it’s just a matter of time. This is why mayor José Alberto Guerreiro has prepared a prevention plan for quarantine that takes into account the need to prevent transmission within this population. This includes making several spaces with sanitation services and possibilities to organise meals – like sports and multipurpose pavilions – available to accommodate up to 500 migrants working in agriculture. Read more (in Portuguese) here
Foreign nationals arriving in the Netherlands no longer have access to asylum procedures. Now, there will be an emergency shelter established in the city of Groningen – mainly driven from the national level, but with support from the Municipality of Het Hogeland.
Read more here
Contact: Thorsten Klein
Madrid city council is offering 150 beds for homeless people who do not show symptoms of the virus. Meanwhile, homeless people who do show symptons can go to an emergency centre for asylum seekers, where they will receive adequate health care.
Read more here
Contact: Ana Buñuel
