All States have a keen interest in the health status of travellers when they present at the border. In recent years, a succession of health emergencies – some localized, others very widely spread – have renewed the case for border management systems that are properly equipped to identify and defuse threats to public health at points of entry. The Ebola virus disease, SARS-CoV-1 and the various strains of avian influenza all required a multisectoral approach to strengthening border management capabilities for the prevention and detection of, and response to, communicable diseases. Eventually, though, they were contained with limited disruption to international travel.

Global pandemics present challenges of a different magnitude, especially when they reach the level of a PHEIC (public health emergency of international concern), as determined by the World Health Organization (WHO). Given the early uncertainties about the likely geographic reach and speed of transmission of the COVID-19 virus (not to mention its lethality), virtually all governments initially struggled to balance the wisdom of introducing restrictions on human mobility against the impact of such measures on the economic and social well-being of their citizens and residents. That period of uncertainty was short-lived, and the suspension of movements across borders – both international and internal – was quickly adopted as the first line of defence against the spread of the virus.

The nexus between mobility, border management and health control is not of recent origin. The management of health risks – especially disease transmission by new arrivals – is inscribed in every government’s migration strategy, in the reasonable expectation that newcomers should not be a threat to public health. All governments require that those who cross their borders be of sound health, although worldwide improvements in national health standards have led to the discontinuation of once common exacting health inspections at the border except in emergencies. The onset of COVID-19 has turned the clock back, and health management at the border is now at the heart of the global effort to contain the pandemic. It is likely to remain an essential component of migration management for the foreseeable future, with considerable impact on migrant behaviour and migrants themselves.

The most readily apparent consequence is, of course, a dramatic reduction in migrant mobility: migrant workers are unable to travel to their jobs abroad or return home from their host countries; family reunification is put on hold if not abandoned altogether; and the work programme of international students is disrupted. Even when migrant workers are successful in obtaining right of entry and employment, they may be confronted with extra hardships (see the interlinkage Labour migration in times of a pandemic: Lessons from COVID-19). In rare cases, citizens and migrants have been prevented from returning home. Uncertainties about the origin and manner of progression of the pandemic have also resulted in unwarranted blame being placed on migrants, as well as displays of xenophobia and discrimination (see the interlinkage Migrant integration during times of pandemic: Lessons learnt from COVID-19). There are also direct public health ramifications that need to be considered, beginning with the prevention of COVID-19 transmission through mobility, and extending to issues relating to the physical and psychosocial well-being of migrants.

 It is essential that COVID-19 border and health control measures be proportionate in their purpose, fair in their application and take full account of the specific needs of migrants.

In general terms, COVID-19 border control measures cover:

  • Restrictions – and, in extreme cases, prohibitions – on cross border movements, including imposing bans of varying duration on arrivals from designated hotspots;
  • “Special circumstance” exemptions, such as for compassionate reasons or to ensure continuity of labour supply (see the interlinkage on Visas and residence permits in times of pandemic: Lessons from COVID-19);
  • Special arrangements to enable the return of citizens stranded abroad.

For these measures to be effective, however, it is essential that they be matched by complementary health and sanitation arrangements. There is no prescribed set of arrangements, since these will vary according to national or even subnational circumstances as well as resource availability, but the following are some commonly adopted practices.

Policy Approaches
Commonly adopted practices to mitigate COVID-19 transmission at border

At the time of writing, there is limited information about the effectiveness of the approaches listed below. With that in mind, these approaches illustrate efforts related to mitigating COVID-19 transmission at border.

  • COVID-19 screening protocols for approved travellers pre-departure, post-arrival and on return, to ensure that they will not put the community at risk;
  • Temperature readings at points of departure, transit and entry, to detect whether travellers have a fever (a common symptom of COVID-19);
  • Mandatory mask wearing and self-distancing at airports;
  • Where appropriate, isolation of arriving passengers through the use of isolation or quarantine dispositions, as a buffer against accidental transmission;
  • Tracing systems, preferably electronic, enabling follow-up with new arrivals and those who may have come in contact with them, should virus transmission occur despite the prophylactic measures that have been put in place;
  • Early vaccination of essential cross-border workers, such as truckers.

For these interlinked border control and health dispositions to operate effectively, close coordination is necessary among all concerned government ministries, departments and agencies, particularly those responsible for migration management, foreign affairs and border control. Policymakers will also need to consult and liaise with both private sector travel and tourism establishments as well as affected migrant communities, to ensure that plans of action address their interests and concerns. It will, of necessity, sometimes be necessary to extend lines of cooperation to other governments.

There are also obvious capacity development needs that must quickly be addressed to ensure that border control and health officials have a proper grasp of their reciprocal responsibilities in the prevention and detection of, and response to, communicable diseases. For instance, border control officials may require training to be able to monitor sanitation and safety measures, conduct screenings or effect referrals to health services; alternatively, health specialists may be trained and embedded into border control teams to take care of these tasks.

In all cases, provision will have to be made for specialized equipment (especially protective gear), for data gathering, and for developing an across-the-board communication strategy to keep the public up-to-date with policy and procedures. It is impossible to overstate the importance of effective communication, to ensure that migrant populations are properly informed of risks, control measures in place and mitigation strategies. Information should be provided upon arrival and at departure, in an accessible language; it should be culturally appropriate and regularly updated in light of changes to policy and procedure.

Population mobility mapping (PMM) is a tool that complements traditional public health risk assessments and big data analysis on mobility. Its goal is to understand movement patterns and to identify the most vulnerable locations within and outside the border, in order to inform preparedness and prevention plans. The findings enable the government, communities and various actors to prevent the introduction or to limit the spread of infectious diseases and other public health threats that are directly affected by human mobility. As such, it enables more accurate prioritization of locations and public health interventions. It was used to combat the spread of the Ebola virus disease [IOM and Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), 2021].

Looking forward, in anticipation of the reopening of borders to international travel, several countries are considering the introduction of a digital “health passport” to attest to their citizens’ COVID-19-free status. Mobile technology could allow the capturing and sharing of relevant health information among border and health authorities of different countries. Existing cross-border information-sharing frameworks such as advanced passenger information (API) or passenger name records (PNR) could also prove to be of value (read more on API, PNR and other aspects of immigration intelligence systems in Regulating migration: Border management).

It should be remembered that the COVID-19 pandemic has confronted migration policymakers with challenges never encountered before, against a constantly evolving public health background. The situation has evolved considerably since the appearance of the virus on the global scene. It continues to change, often in unpredictable ways. In many countries there have been several cycles of rapid onset, successful mitigation and resurgence of transmission. From these experiences, some lines of intervention are most likely to persist, such as health checks at airports; quarantine for those testing positive or those who may have been exposed to the virus; and, increasingly, reliance on vaccination as a protective gesture. Additional policy innovations will inevitably have to be introduced in light of new developments.

To Go Further
  • IOM, Health, Border and Mobility Management (HBMM), 2020 (Information sheet). This is a conceptual and operational framework aimed at improving the prevention and detection of, and response to, the spread of diseases along the mobility continuum, including borders and spaces of vulnerability (SOVs) where migrants and mobile populations (MMPs) also interact with stationary local communities.
  • IOM, Training curriculum for border officials on COVID-19 response at points of entry. This tool provides guidance on immigration formalities adjusted for COVID-19 outbreak realities, aiming to help protect travellers and frontline officials. See a description here and contact ibm@iom.int for more information on the training.
  • World Health Organization (WHO), International Health Regulations, 2005. These regulations are a legally binding instrument agreed to by 196 countries. They aim helping the international community to prevent and respond to public health risks that have the potential to cross borders and threaten international health security. The regulations define the rights and obligations of all countries in this regard, including the establishment of core capacities that each country must put in place to prevent, detect and respond to public health emergencies, and the requirement to report public health emergencies of international concern. It includes specific measures to be put in place at points of entry to limit the transmission of health threats across borders and enable safe population mobility, without unwarranted travel and trade restrictions. .
  • International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Manual on Testing and Cross-border Risk Management Measures, 2020. This manual suggests that a combination of strategies can significantly reduce the risk of the disease transmission while helping to resume international and domestic movements. Such strategies include coordination between countries and health screening of travellers at points of entry, use of health declaration forms, and COVID-19 testing and quarantine, applied in different combinations before and after the travel.
PreviousGender and border management NextMigration and Development