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European Roma: Forgotten victims of COVID-19
European Roma: Forgotten victims of COVID-19
Health, education and economic measures imposed by EU Member States during the COVID crisis have largely failed to protect Roma communities by not taking into account their extreme poverty and by not giving them priority in public health and vaccination strategies.
With 80% living in overcrowded settlements and dense neighbourhoods, often in households with no tap water and basic sanitations facilities and with reduced access to health services, Roma have paid a disproportionately heavy price during the COVID-19 pandemic, with higher mortality and hospitalisation rates than the general population. Economic measures and distance learning in schools, introduced by governments in response to the crisis, have often left Roma behind, leaving them without jobs or income and unable to follow education programmes.