Following the declaration of a global pandemic by WHO on 11 March 2020, UNHCR declared a Global Level 2 Emergency for the COVID-19 situation on 25 March 2020, activating emergency procurement procedures, simplified partner selection processes and giving country teams maximum flexibility in providing assistance.

Nearly all countries have COVID-19 cases, including a small number of cases among persons of concern (PoC) to UNHCR but with no concentrated outbreak so far.

To date, a total of 6.4 million masks, 850,000 gowns, 3,600 oxygen concentrators and 640 ventilators have been procured by UNHCR and delivered to 25 high priority countries to support UNHCR’s and partners’ COVID-19 response in these countries.

UNHCR issued a press release drawing attention to the heightened risk of gender-based violence for displaced and stateless women in the COVID-19 pandemic.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi calls for refugees to receive the rights they deserve during the COVID-19 pandemic on the WEF website.

Despite pandemic restrictions, people fleeing violence and persecution continue to seek asylum in Mexico.

As of 10 May, over 3.8 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed, with the United States and European countries most affected. Several country operations have reported cases of COVID-19 among persons of concern, but so far, the number of cases remains low with no reported sustained transmission in high-density refugee or internally displaced areas.

UNHCR and partner organizations have further intensified their COVID-19 response in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, following the first confirmed case of coronavirus among the refugee population.

UNHCR and WHO signed a new agreement to strengthen and advance public health services for the millions of forcibly displaced people around the world.