ABSTRACT
The insolvency of travel agencies is dealt with in a special way by the EU legislator. European Union law introduces legal solutions for the benefit of consumers insofar as the relevant services are not performed by organizers as a consequence of its insolvency. The current 2015/2302 Directive provides much more comprehensive protection than 90/314/EWG Directive for travelers in the event of insolvency of a tour operator. However, in the past, in the practical functioning of travel agencies, it has repeatedly turned out that the Polish legislation has not been able to guarantee full protection provided for in EU law. This situation has changed. In Poland, since August 1, 2018 the system of security and financial guarantees in the event of insolvency of organizers and traders facilitating linked travel arrangements consists of two pillars. If Pillar I funds are exhausted, the costs of actions taken by the Marshal of the Province related to the repatriation of the customers of an insolvent tour operator will be covered from Pillar II, which is created from contributions to the Tourist Guarantee Fund. Due to the COVID pandemic, another form of security was introduced in Poland from January 1,2021 - Tourist Assistance Fund. The fund is designed to support tourism entrepreneurs in the event of extraordinary circumstances. The aim of the paper is to present the legal regulations in force in Poland in the field of financial security of tour operators in the event of their insolvency and to analyze whether these solutions sufficiently protect the interests of travelers. Conclusions included in the paper justify the statement that the extension of the security system by Pillar II make the full protection possible. The two-pillar solution should be sufficient in case of insolvency of a travel agency and that it fully implements the EU recommendations.
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This study investigates how discourses on panhandling intertwine with the governance of beggars on China's urban streets. It focuses on local policy implementation in Guangzhou city, led by the bureau of civil affairs along with its centres for "custody and repatriation” and "assistance stations.” The study aims to understand how the state regulates panhandling and engages with beggars in public spaces. Exploring the internal logic of the state's approach and how it has changed during the 40 years of reform, it also considers the junctures at which contradictions and conflicts arise. Based on fieldwork data (2011 to 2014) and the analysis of government documents, yearbooks, academic and mass media discourses, I argue that the state's treatment of panhandlers poses a conundrum as welfare measures conflict with control. While several layers of state regulation and actors contradict each other and create grey areas of state-induced informality, people who beg for alms are continuously criminalized and excluded from public space.
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Malaysia is among the biggest hosts of refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) in Southeast Asia, of whom the majority are Rohingya Muslims. In Malaysia, RAS children are not allowed to enroll in public schools and therefore rely on a non-formal parallel education system that comprises learning centers run by refugee communities, NGOs, andfaith-based organizations. To date, little research is available on initiatives that attempt to integrate RAS children into Malaysian society through education. This study aims to gather evidence on the current situation of RAS children's education in Malaysia and answer the following questions: (a) what is the current state of evidence? and (b) to what extent has existing research/evidence addressed the question of RAS children integration into the national education system? We conducted a scoping review that gathers and summarizes findings from existing studies using a specific strategy: selection ofkeywords and systematic search through online databases, followed by screening of papers based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Our findings showed that the overall body of evidence is small, with most studies describing the challenges and barriers faced by RAS children in accessing formal/non-formal and quality education. There was little focus and discussion on integrating RAS children into the national education system, which perhaps is due to the underlying assumption that Malaysia remains a transit country for RAS, and not a destination for permanent settlement.
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Background: Since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in late 2019, there have been more than 152 affected regions and countries with over 110,000 confirmed cases outside mainland China. Methods: We analysed COVID-19 cases among travellers from mainland China to different regions and countries, comparing the region- and country-specific rates of detected and confirmed cases per flight volume to estimate the relative sensitivity of surveillance in different regions and countries. Results: Although travel restrictions from Wuhan City and other cities across China may have reduced the absolute number of travellers to and from China, we estimated that more than two thirds (70%, 95% CI: 54% - 80%, compared to Singapore;75%, 95% CI: 66% - 82%, compared to multiple countries) of cases exported from mainland China have remained undetected. Conclusions: These undetected cases potentially resulted in multiple chains of human-to-human transmission outside mainland China.
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Purpose: COVID-19 pandemic has shattered the economic systems all around the world while creating numerous problems which were faced by all, especially international migrants. The present study offers a qualitative and quantitative perspective on the distress of international migrants and their repatriation intention during the pandemic period. Design/methodology/approach: In-depth semi-structured interviews of 30 respondents belonging to five host nations, Australia, the USA, the UK, New Zealand and Canada, revealed diverse issues. Based on qualitative study findings and past literature, 22 purposeful statements about six constructs – financial issues, social issues, mobility constraints, psychological problems, healthcare issues, and repatriation intentions – were developed. These statements were measured on a seven-point Likert scale and shared online with international migrants from India residing in the host nations. Data collected from 496 international migrants from October 2020 to July 2021 were used to analyze the influence of various determinants on the repatriation intentions by partial least square-structural equation modeling using SmartPLS software. Findings: The analysis results revealed that the role of financial, social, mobility, psychological and healthcare issues was significant in strengthening the repatriation intentions of the migrants. There is a need to create job opportunities, retrain laid-off workers and formulate migrant inclusive policies. Originality/value: Although some studies have highlighted a few problems faced by international migrants, their impact on repatriation intentions has not been studied yet. The present study fills this gap and analyzes the repatriation intention of international migrants in light of different problems they faced during the pandemic. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2022-0233. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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As the most significant contributor to the worlds migrant population, India witnessed a massive reverse migration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented return of international and internal migrants to their domicile challenged the Indian economy. Integration of returnees was a colossal task for the government. Against this backdrop, this study analysed the extent of reverse migration, the socioeconomic challenges faced by migrants during the repatriation, the government response to reverse migration and the economic integration of returnees. By reviewing relevant literature, this study exposed the inability of the Indian economic sectors to absorb the reverse migrants and the limited power of migration to bring about a structural transformation in the Indian economy.
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El artículo analiza las medidas gubernamentales implementadas por Chile y El Salvador durante la pandemia, para gestionar la repatriación de los connacionales y ciudadanos residentes que quedaron varados en el extranjero producto del cierre de fronteras, decisión impuesta por los gobiernos a nivel mundial como medida de contención de la crisis sanitaria generada por el covid-19 en sus territorios. La restricción al libre tránsito de las personas a través de las fronteras provocó en varios países de la región un drama humanitario adicional a los devastadores efectos de la crisis sanitaria global, por lo que el presente trabajo examina dicha problemática desde la cobertura otorgada por los medios de comunicación latinoamericanos a los procesos de repatriación de chilenos y salvadoreños como casos de estudio, mediante un análisis documental de tipo cualitativo de las noticias sobre las principales dificultades y consencuencias generadas por dicho drama humanitario. Una conclusión importante del estudio reconoce la relevancia de la capacidad administrativa, logística y comunicacional que deben desarrollar las misiones diplomáticas de los países latinoamericanos, así como la preeminencia de los derechos humanos en las relaciones internacionales para enfrentar más responsablemente la crisis migratoria ocasionada por el cierre de fronteras por razones sanitarias.Alternate : The article analyzes the government measures implemented by Chile and El Salvador during the pandemic, to manage the repatriation of nationals and resident citizens who were stranded abroad as a result of border closure, a decision imposed by governments worldwide as a containment measure of the health crisis generated by covid-19 in their territories. The restriction of the free movement of people across borders caused in several countries of the region a humanitarian drama in addition to the devastating effects of the global health crisis, so this work examines this problem from the coverage provided by the media from Latin American communication to the repatriation processes of Chileans and Salvadorans as case studies, through a qualitative documentary analysis of the news on the main difficulties and consequences generated by said humanitarian drama. An important conclusion of the study recognizes the relevance of the administrative, logistical and communicational capacity that the diplomatic missions of Latin American countries must develop, as well as the preeminence of human rights in international relations to more responsibly face the migratory crisis caused by the closure of borders for health reasons.
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This paper probes how temporality is integral to the health examination regime that aims to protect citizens from infectious diseases in Taiwan. The paper finds that migrant workers in less-skilled occupations are examined more frequently than foreign professionals. Analyzing such differentiation, this paper argues that a hierarchy of sanitization is built on and increases the inequality between them and perpetuates instability in migrant workers’ circumstances. Applying a temporal approach to the study of health examination opens new inroads into our understanding of how a “migration state” achieves the exclusion of migrant workers by making them outsiders subject to permanent intrusion into their bodies. © Scalabrini Migration Center 2022.
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The year 2020 has turned the world upside down with the outbreak of the disease COVID 19. It forced the companies to shift their work focus from office to work from home. Every sector of the economy got affected by the pandemic and a financial crisis was faced by almost every firm. To deal with the financial crisis, many firms have altered their compensation packages. The world of The Middle East is nowhere left behind. The firms of GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries known for their attractive pay packages were forced to make modifications, adjustments, and variations to their compensation. The current paper analyzes various amendments made by firms in the Gulf Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain to their compensation management system to cope with the challenges of the pandemic. It also highlights the remittances provided by the governments of these countries to tackle the situation. Analysis was done based on secondary data which includes the Gulf Health Council Report, International Labor Organization reports, Mercer Consultant Report, publication of Arab Reform Initiative, OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) publication on MENA countries, and World Bank report (2018). The findings highlighted the turbulence experienced by employees working in gulf, as majority of GCC countries lacked in providing pay protection and job protection. It also describes to what extent the remittances provided by the government in these countries were helpful to the expatriates.
ABSTRACT
Purpose - COVID-19 pandemic has shattered the economic systems all around the world while creating numerous problems which were faced by all, especially international migrants. The present study offers a qualitative and quantitative perspective on the distress of international migrants and their repatriation intention during the pandemic period. Design/methodology/approach - In-depth semi-structured interviews of 30 respondents belonging to five host nations, Australia, the USA, the UK, New Zealand and Canada, revealed diverse issues. Based on qualitative study findings and past literature, 22 purposeful statements about six constructs - financial issues, social issues, mobility constraints, psychological problems, healthcare issues, and repatriation intentions - were developed. These statements were measured on a seven-point Likert scale and shared online with international migrants from India residing in the host nations. Data collected from 496 international migrants from October 2020 to July 2021 were used to analyze the influence of various determinants on the repatriation intentions by partial least square-structural equation modeling using SmartPLS software. Findings - The analysis results revealed that the role of financial, social, mobility, psychological and healthcare issues was significant in strengthening the repatriation intentions of the migrants. There is a need to create job opportunities, retrain laid-off workers and formulate migrant inclusive policies. Originality/value - Although some studies have highlighted a few problems faced by international migrants, their impact on repatriation intentions has not been studied yet. The present study fills this gap and analyzes the repatriation intention of international migrants in light of different problems they faced during the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Emigrants from Kerala, India, were among the international migrants affected by the displacing consequences of COVID-19 - job losses, decreasing wages, inadequate social protection systems, xenophobia and overall uncertainty - which led to large-scale return migration to India. Returning home due to exogenous shocks calls into question the voluntary nature of return, the ability of returnees to reintegrate and the sustainability of re-embedding in the home country. The role of return migrants in the development of their societies of origin is also unclear. In this commentary, we explore the circumstances of return migration since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on a case study of Kerala and provide insights on the future of emigration from this corridor along with policy suggestions. The role of return migrants in the development of their societies of origin requires further research and policy interventions.
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Repatriation due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was the most extensive assisted return in Slovenia’s history. The article explores governmental responsiveness to the struggles and social risks experienced by Slovenian nationals stranded abroad during the global outbreak of COVID-19 from February to April 2020. It builds on a review of EU and national-level reports, a qualitative analysis of media sources, and expert interviews. The article highlights the lack of detailed systemic guidelines on transnational social protection in crisis situations and argues that the success in the repatriation of Slovenian nationals can be primarily attributed to the ad hoc measures set in place by highly motivated and inventive consular staff. © 2022, ZRC SAZU, Zalozba ZRC. All rights reserved.
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Commercial flights nearly halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the second quarter of 2020. Consequently, several countries have had to schedule repatriation flights to return their citizens stranded in other countries. Flight routes and schedules are known in normal circumstances, and passengers buy seats on these flights; however, the reverse steps happen in repatriation. Passengers express their need to travel, and flights are scheduled to satisfy their requests. The problem behind this flight schedule can be called the repatriation scheduling problem (RSP), in which we need to repatriate citizens from different countries. The objective of the RSP is to return the most vulnerable citizens first. The capacity of available airplanes and quarantine locations limit the number of repatriated citizens. To address this problem, we have developed a mixed-integer linear program (MILP) to model the RSP. Moreover, we suggest a basic variable neighbourhood search (BVNS) algorithm to solve the problem. We test the BVNS algorithm by creating and solving a set of 108 RSP instances and then comparing the BVNS solutions with the exact ones. Despite allocating only 20 s to run the BVNS algorithm compared to eight hours for a commercial exact solver's branch and bound algorithm, the BVNS algorithm could find better results than the lower bounds for 62 instances and similar values for 17 instances.
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A connection and a yearning towards a communal and primarily agrarian existence connects the Rastafari the world over. Many Rastafari yearn for a life in direct communication with the earth through agricultural labor in a space created for and by the community, a space “up in the hills” away from the pollutants of a contaminated, corrupting Babylonian society. This was no less the case amongst those in Saint Lucia with whom I conducted recent fieldwork. Different from previous conversations on this topic however, was a new context defined by a global pandemic and a subsequent widely mandated social withdrawal. This engendered a dual response of envisioning rural flight as now more urgent and, in some cases, as a necessary response to COVID-19.
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Purpose>Given that the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) varies greatly between countries, it becomes relevant to explore self-initiated expatriate (SIE) health workers' perceptions of home vs host country safety during a global pandemic. Thus, the paper aims to study the effects of COVID-19 on the expatriation experience of Spanish SIE nurses in Germany, focussing on perceptions of home and host country safety as push/pull forces on their intentions to repatriate or stay.Design/methodology/approach>Semi-structured interviews (n = 10) were conducted with Spanish SIE nurses in Germany between April/June 2020 followed by instant messaging interactions with the same participants in October/November 2020. Data analysis was assisted by NVivo software.Findings>Overloaded by information from social networks about the impact of COVID-19 in Spain compared with the situation in Germany, Spanish SIE nurses had exacerbated feelings of stress, and some reported having experienced guilt for not being in their home country. Nevertheless, the contrasting impact and management of the crisis and its relative effect on health workers and the larger society in Spain and Germany reinforced the nurses' intention to stay in Germany.Research limitations/implications>The research offers insights to organisations and public authorities involved with providing support to SIEs during crises, highlighting the implications of SIEs' social networks and dual allegiance to home and host countries during a global health emergency.Originality/value>The study contributes to the growing literature on SIEs, whilst adding to the research on expatriates' well-being and safety during crises.
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In February 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, 232 evacuees from Wuhan, China, were placed under federal 14-day quarantine upon arrival at a US military base in San Diego, California. We describe the monitoring of evacuees and responders for symptoms of COVID-19, case and contact investigations, infection control procedures, and lessons learned to inform future quarantine protocols for evacuated people from a hot spot resulting from a novel pathogen. Thirteen (5.6%) evacuees had COVID-19-compatible symptoms and 2 (0.9%) had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2. Two case investigations identified 43 contacts; 3 (7.0%) contacts had symptoms but tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Daily symptom and temperature screening of evacuees and enacted infection control procedures resulted in rapid case identification and isolation and no detected secondary transmission among evacuees or responders. Lessons learned highlight the challenges associated with public health response to a novel pathogen and the evolution of mitigation strategies as knowledge of the pathogen evolves.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Quarantine , United States/epidemiology , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Military Facilities , Pandemics/prevention & control , SARS-CoV-2 , China/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic has an impact on migrants’ return desires and actual returns across the globe. Border closures in the face of pandemic lead to the panic mobility of those returning home. The ensuing lockdowns and economic difficulties restricted migrant workers’ access to income and protection, pushing them to return. The pandemic brought evident risks for the regular migrants’ access to healthcare, financial security, and social protection, forcing them to consider the return option too. For irregular migrants, the pandemic further increased the risk of forced returns, including detention, deportation, and pushbacks. For all migrants, decisions are marked by a deep dilemma between staying and returning. Meanwhile, receiving, sending, and transit countries, as well as international organisations are involved in return processes by providing logistics, on the one hand, and stigmatising returnees as carriers of virus, on the other. This study is based on desk research and analysis of the scholarly literature, reports, and grey literature from international organizations, civil society reports, scientific blogs, and media reports. An emphasis on returns provides us broader insights to evaluate changing characteristics of migration and mobility in ‘pandemic times’, the governance of returns, its consequences, and the rhetoric about returnees. © 2022, The Author(s).
ABSTRACT
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent measures to control the spread of the virus by border closure and suspension of commercial flights, decision-makers in several countries had to deal with one or more forms of repatriation problems, international and domestic. In addressing an international repatriation problem, a country must schedule flights to return its citizens. Typically, the flight schedules of commercial airlines are announced, and passengers buy their seats accordingly. However, in repatriation, the opposite happens: citizens express their wishes to return to their countries, and flights need to be scheduled. Due to several constraints, decision-makers should repatriate the most vulnerable citizens first. In this work, we offer an overview of repatriation problems from an optimization perspective by visiting real-life cases. We compare the Indian and Jordanian repatriation programs to find similarities and differences between the two. We also develop several mixed-integer linear programs (MILPs) to model different repatriation phases and solve respective illustrative examples to demonstrate the use of the MILPs. Last, we solve two stages of a problem that resembles Jordan's actual repatriation program. Decision-makers and researchers may use and extend this summary and the optimization models for any future pandemic that might lead to border closures and new repatriation problems.
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BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic represents a serious worldwide threat. Stranded Lebanese citizens abroad appealed to the Lebanese government to embark on citizen repatriation missions. We aim to document the Lebanese experience in the repatriation of citizens during COVID-19 which allow us to disclose encountered challenges and lessons learned. METHODS: This is a retrospective description of processes involved in the phased repatriation of Lebanese citizens. The Mission consisted of 4 phases starting, April 5th until June 19th 2020. The prioritization of returnees was based on both medical and social risk assessment. The repatriation team was divided into four groups: the aircraft team, the airport team, the hotel team and the follow up team. On arrival, all returning citizens were tested using Polymerase chain Reaction (PCR) based technique, and were obliged to adhere to a mandatory facility quarantine for 24 to 48 h. Returning travelers who were tested positive for COVID-19 were transferred to the hospital. Those who were tested negative were urged to strictly comply with home-quarantine for a duration of 14 days. They were followed up on a daily basis by the repatriation team. RESULTS: Overall, 25,783 Lebanese citizens have returned home during the phased repatriation. The third phase ranked the uppermost in regard of the number of citizens repatriated. The total number of performed PCR tests at the airport upon arrival was 14,893 with an average percentage of around 1% positivity for COVID-19. On the other hand, more than 10,687 repatriates underwent external PCR requisite in the third and fourth phases. Two hundred seventy-two repatriates were tested positive for COVID-19 upon their arrival. CONCLUSION: Considering the limited human and financial resources besides the economic and political crisis, the overall repatriation mission could be considered as a successful experience. Such processes would not have been achieved without the professionalism of all involved stakeholders.
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ABSTRACT: With COVID-19 affecting millions of people around the globe, quarantine of international arrivals is a critical public health measure to prevent further disease transmission in local populations. This measure has also been applied in the repatriation of citizens, undertaken by several countries as an ethical obligation and legal responsibility. This article describes the process of planning and preparing for the repatriation operation in South Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interagency collaboration, development of a COVID-19 testing and quarantining protocol, implementing infection prevention and control, and building a specialised health care delivery model were essential aspects of the repatriation operational planning, with a focus on maintaining dignity and wellbeing of the passengers as well as on effective prevention of COVID-19 transmission. From April 2020 to mid-February 2021, more than 14,000 international arrivals travellers have been repatriated under the South Australian repatriation operations. This paper has implications to inform ongoing repatriation efforts in Australia and overseas in a pandemic situation.