COVID-19 stressors on migrant workers in Kuwait: cumulative risk considerations

Abstract

As a marginalised subpopulation, migrant workers often fall short from protection by public policies, they take precarious jobs with unsafe working and living conditions and they grapple with cultural and linguistic barriers. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, migrant workers are now exposed to additional stressors of the virus and related responses. We applied a comprehensive qualitative cumulative risk assessment framework for migrant workers living in Kuwait. This pandemic could be one of the few examples where the stressors overlap all domains of migrant workers' lives. No single intervention can solve all the problems; there must be a set of interventions to address all domains. Local authorities and employers must act quickly to stop the spread, ensure easy access to testing and treatment, provide adequate housing and clear communication, encourage wide social support, safeguard financial protection and mental well-being and continuously re-evaluate the situation as more data are collected.

Keywords: environmental health; health policy; public health.

Figure 1

A cumulative risk assessment framework for occupational health and safety with four overlapping domains described by Fox et al. The occupational domain (highlighted) cannot be viewed in isolation from other domains.