‘Non-Irish nationals’ make up over 12 per cent (620,000 people) of the population in Ireland. Those migrants may be both more affected by and vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 in Ireland. 

• On average, migrant families have a lower level of income than Irish families and so are likely to feel the financial effects of the COVID-19 lockdown more strongly. 

• A number of long-standing difficulties with Traveller accommodation are particularly problematic in a pandemic. 

• Recent research suggests that Black, Black Irish, Asian, Asian Irish and Traveller groups are more likely to contract Covid-19 than those who are White Irish. 

• Mental health issues are likely to be exacerbated by restrictions due to the pandemic. 

• Children of migrants and ethnic minorities have lower reading scores than others in the education system, and the closure of schools is likely to worsen this. 

• Travel restrictions due to the pandemic can cause particular difficulties for non-Irish nationals living in Ireland who have family living abroad. 

• A number of Asian people in Ireland reported an increase in racist attitudes towards them in 2020, which they attribute to links made between Asian individuals and the origins of COVID-19 in China. 

The state has implemented a number of Covid-19 income supports for the general population. However, certain barriers to state supports are present for non-Irish nationals. Regarding DP, a system of accommodation centres housing asylum seekers, there have been a number of COVID-19 outbreaks across DP centres. In addition, the Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting (CIDR) database, which contains figures on Covid-19 cases and deaths, does not contain adequate data on ethnic origin and nationality to allow the publication of information on this. This has led to a lack of disaggregated statistics on Covid-19 cases and deaths among ethnic minorities, migrants, Travellers or DP residents in Ireland. Additionally, data on the mental health of ethnic minorities is limited, however, the mental health needs of migrants can differ somewhat from those of the native population. This panel will discuss the Covid-19 impact on migrants in Ireland, as well as existing policies and services, to explore how the government and social organizations could come together to tackle the issue. 

SPEAKERS: Natalia Mcdonald 

– Advocacy Officer at NASC (Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre) James Wickham 

– Fellow Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin Brian Killoran 

– CEO of Immigrant Council of Ireland Dr. Jenny Dagg 

– Postdoctoral Researcher at the National University of Ireland, Galway