"GCC Covid Relief Report," 3 Nov 2021

By April 2020, every GCC country — Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar — had implemented some form of lockdown and travel ban. While some key sectors remained open, to a large extent the economy came to a grinding halt. Discriminatory policies4 and racist discourses proliferated, with citizens receiving preferential treatment5 in economic responses, medical treatment, and travel restrictions. Emergency decrees empowered businesses to almost unilaterally change contract terms for migrant workers— leave without pay, reduction of salaries and termination — with safeguards against job loss and excessive salary reduction reserved for nationals only. Government responses did not prioritise migrant workers, and needs were too large to be carried by licensed charities and community groups.