"Hundreds stranded in Middle East as coronavirus death toll climbs", 20 Jul 2020

Hundreds of migrant workers from Sri Lanka are stranded in the Middle East, with at least 44 dead from the coronavirus, as they struggle to find a way to be repatriated back to the island. The crisis of migrant workers is ongoing, as thousands have lost their jobs during the pandemic and have no feasible way of returning to the island. Those who want to return must also face the barrier of paying for a mandatory PCR test, which many do not have the funds to afford, especially as they scramble to pay for basic needs like food...There are an estimated 1,700 migrant workers from Sri Lanka still stranded abroad...This pandemic has forced many West Asian countries to reconsider whether the migrant worker model on which they have relied economically is sustainable in the long term.