Germany: Migrants and refugees may help in dealing the coronavirus lockdown

In dealing with consequence of the coronavirus pandemic German authorities turn to migrants and refugees communities for help. According to the interior ministry, there are over 150,000 refugees looking for work.

  
"Foreign doctors”
Facing shortages of medical staff municipalities and medical boards launched appeals for people with medical or nursing training but without the license to practice medicine, to work as volunteers. According to the InfoMigrants the Ministry of Health welcomed migrants and refugees with suitable qualification, regardless of their residency or work status.  

Agricultural work-permits for asylum seekers 
The European Commission has urged member states to treat seasonal labourers as critical workers as travel restrictions and uncertain situation of further pandemic outbreak can lead to significant shortages in agriculture produce. The German Ministry for Food and Agriculture estimates there are 300,000 missing farm workers in Germany right now. 

In aim to find solution and prevent the food supply crisis, Julia Klöckner, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, proposed to  let asylum seekers, whose asylum application are pending, to work on farms during this year's harvest period.  As asylum seekers are not normally permitted to work in Germany the Minister proposed to issue special agricultural work-permits. According to the German ministry for migration, there were around 58,277 pending asylum applications   at the end of January 2020. 


Resources: 
Coronavirus border closures are threatening Europe’s food supply, [31.03.2020].
Lindsay F.,  Germany’s Agriculture Minister Wants Asylum Seekers To Help Save Harvest Season, [26.03.2020]. 
Germany: Migrants and refugees may fill labor gaps, [26.03.2020]. 
Over 150,000 refugees could work on farms to fill labor gap: German government, [27.03.2020].
Alkousaa R.,, Paul Carrel P.,Refugees to the rescue? Germany taps migrant medics to battle virus, [28.03.2020].