The IOM warned in a report that border closures and travel bans had left large numbers of migrants stranded. It defined stranded migrants as people outside their country of habitual residence who wanted to return home but were being prevented by restrictions related to the pandemic. "Migrants can be returned home in a safe and dignified manner despite the constraints imposed by Covid-19." The Middle East and North Africa had the most stranded migrants, with 1.26 million stuck, followed by Asia and the Pacific with 977,000. 'Large underestimation'Based on data from 382 locations in more than 101 countries, it "is considered a large underestimation of the number of migrants stranded or otherwise impacted by Covid-19", IOM said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 09, 2020 10:52 UTC