Chandan Kumar Mandal

Raja has now been under lockdown at his camp for nearly 15 days. The migrants’ camp he lives in at Salwa Road, Doha, is home to nearly 16,000 others, including 5,000 Nepali migrant workers. He shares his room and bathroom with four other Nepalis. His kitchen is also used by 48 others from different countries.

The Arab country imposed a general lockdown two weeks ago after Covid-19 cases were reported in the country. But for workers like Raja, life goes on.

“We are still going to work. An office vehicle picks us up and drops us off at the worksite,” Raja, who asked that he only be identified by his first name, told the Post from Doha over the phone. “Everyone is working in fear as cases of Covid-19 are increasing every day.”

Most of the country’s 481 confirmed cases were reported in its industrial area, a commercial hub outside Doha where many migrant workers such as Raja live. The country’s labour force largely comprises workers from South Asian countries such as Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

After cases of Covid-19 started popping up in the industrial area and the camps, Qatar sealed off the workers’ camps to contain the spread of Covid-19, linked to poor living conditions. Qatar’s desperate attempts to control the spread of the contagious disease have resulted in converting the camps into “coronavirus prisons”.

According to The Guardian, security personnel guard a huge zone within the industrial area, where thousands of workers are trapped in squalid, overcrowded camps.

According to Raja, workers are afraid of going out of the camp, even when they run out of daily essentials as they could be deported if they are caught. Last week, over 300 Nepalis were deported for leaving their camps.

When we run out of daily supplies, we have no option but to go out as there are no shops inside the camp,” said Raja. “We used to have small markets where workers like us could buy groceries at cheaper rates. Now, they too are closed.”

According to Amnesty International, the lockdown on labour camps put migrant workers at a grave risk of infection.

In a statement, Amnesty International called on Qatar and other Gulf countries to ensure that migrant workers are not further marginalised during this crisis, and that they can access sick pay when they are unable to work because of the COVID-19 epidemic.

But the situation in the labour camps indicates that the call hasn’t been heeded. “Labour accommodation camps are notoriously overcrowded, and lack adequate water and sanitation meaning that workers are inevitably less able to protect themselves from the virus,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s deputy director of global issues in a statement. “Workers’ proximity to one another in cramped camps also does not allow for any type of social distancing.”

Qatar has long been criticised for its treatment of migrant workers, who live in small, crowded rooms that lack basic facilities such as running water. A large number of workers share toilets.

Raja’s four Nepali roommates are not infected but he doesn’t feel safe.

“None of my friends has been infected so far,” said Raja. “But we also know that coronavirus spreads through personal contacts, which means everyone is at risk. You never know.”

Qatar, with the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the Arab Gulf region, however, has vowed to protect all residents, including its millions of expatriates. In a statement on Saturday, the government said it was working closely with employers in the country to "ensure the welfare and medical needs of the residents are met".

“The Qatari government must ensure that human rights remain central to all attempts at prevention and containment of the COVID-19 virus, and also that all people have access to health care, including preventive care and treatment for everyone affected, without discrimination,” said Cockburn.

Amidst all the fear and confusion, Raja just wants to come home. His income is limited to basic salary whereas his life is now confined to the camps. But even if he manages to leave the camp, travel restrictions imposed by the Nepal government do not allow him to return home until April 15.

“I want to come home, so do most Nepalis in my camp,” he said. “No one wants to live under constant fear and scarcity locked up inside camps.”

Published on: 26 March 2020 | The Kathmandu Post