ASTI Calls for Additional Coronavirus Measures for Homeless, Migrants

ASTI, the association for migrant workers in the Grand Duchy, has urged the Luxembourg government to take additional measures aimed at supporting migrants and vulnerable members of society in light of the current coronavirus pandemic.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, ASTI recognised that the authorities in Luxembourg and many other countries have taken "strong and radical measures" to try to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Although reduced social contact and economic activity and the closure of the external borders of the European Union (EU) are "not easy for anyone", ASTI has recalled that the situation is particularly challenging for vulnerable people, such as those without social security coverage or without a valid residence document.

ASTI has thus called for "total" solidarity in the current context, with guaranteed access to healthcare and information for everyone, regardless of their origin, nationality, administrative status or economic capacity.

In this regard, ASTI has urged the Luxembourg government to take the following decisions as quickly as possible:

- allow healthcare access for all, without preconditions, upon presentation of an identification document and without any administrative consequences;
- grant people without social security coverage or without a valid residence document to be treated, for example in medical houses, which must accommodate any person with respiratory symptoms and / or suspected of being infected with coronavirus;
- urgently set up care options for homeless people who do not require hospitalisation and "quarantine" accommodation facilities such as hotel rooms, boarding schools or youth hostels, military hospitals, etc.
- share this message of unrestricted healthcare access in a simple and clear manner in many languages, so that no one is afraid to contact the authorities if necessary;
- communicate during press briefings on the evolution of the health situation in at least the three official languages ​​of the country for the sake of transparency and social cohesion.