Abu Dhabi (AFP)

"I don't know if I should be happy or sad," said Noureddine, a young Indian man transferred to a quarantine center after being infected with the new coronavirus, like the nine other immigrant workers who shared his cramped dormitory in Abu Dhabi.

The economy of the oil-rich Gulf countries rests, among other things, on this low-cost labor, many of whom come from Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India and most of which are housed in dilapidated places.

But the Covid-19 pandemic combined with the fall in oil prices has paralyzed the Gulf economy, and many immigrant workers, yesterday essential, are now sick or unemployed, at the mercy of their employers.

Among them, Noureddine was hospitalized after being contaminated, then taken to a quarantine center in the emirate of Al-Aïn, on the border with Oman.

Here, "there is no internet or television. But the situation in my room was even worse," he says. He then had to "share the bathroom with 20 to 30 people".

Despite drastic measures to stem the pandemic, the Gulf countries hosting the largest number of immigrants - Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar - continue to record an increase in contamination.

Foreigners made up 70 to 80 percent of the cases on its soil, according to Ryad.

To reduce the contagion, immigrant workers were relocated to places more conducive to social distancing and testing centers opened.

And in some countries, multilingual drones fly over their neighborhoods by spreading prevention messages.

- "Gratitude" -

The Emirates have a "debt of gratitude" to the immigrant workforce, said a spokesman for the country. In addition to access to healthcare, the Emirates will provide them with food and accommodation, and will soften immigration rules if their visas expire.

Yet, of all the Gulf countries, the UAE has insisted the most on immigrant workers being repatriated from their countries of origin.

As of April 20, some 22,900 foreign workers have been repatriated from the country on 127 scheduled flights, despite the suspension of commercial flights, according to UAE officials.

But India, whose 3.2 million citizens work in the Emirates, refused, citing the logistical nightmare of repatriation and quarantine.

Bangladesh reluctantly agreed.

"If we do not bring them back (...) they will not recruit more people from us when the situation improves," said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, adding that thousands of illegal workers and hundreds prisoners will also be repatriated in stages.

Pakistan has also given the green light to repatriations, although in Dubai Pakistani diplomats have called on their fellow citizens not to go to the consulate any longer, as they no longer have seats on repatriation flights.

"We are concerned for our brothers in the Gulf. The confinement and closings of the stores have deprived many Pakistanis of their livelihood," said Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

- "I want to go home" -

The living and working conditions of immigrant workers put them more at risk of infection with the new coronavirus, warns Rothna Begum, of the NGO Human Rights Watch.

"Immigrants who continue to work are placed on buses where social distancing is impossible and sent to sites where it is not applied, where protective equipment is not available," she adds.

And the measures taken in the Gulf countries have only increased their vulnerability, she regrets.

"I want to return to my country before Ramadan, I have no money and I do not want to stay any longer here," said an Egyptian worker in Kuwait City.

In the emirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, Javed Paresh, a Pakistani worker, is one of the tens of thousands of people registered with the consulate of his country to be repatriated as soon as possible.

"I haven't been paid for six months. I just want to go home and see my family. They will starve because I haven't been able to send them money for several months," laments -he.

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© 2020 AFP