Direct Provision is the Irish system for housing asylum seekers while their claims are processed. Asylum seekers are housed in centers like old hotels or boarding schools with shared living spaces, sometimes with multiple families or strangers to a room. The average time spent in Direct Provision is 2 years, though some have waited over 10 years. There are concerns that COVID-19 could easily spread in the crowded centers. In response, the Irish government opened isolation facilities for those in Direct Provision who test positive for the virus. Women in one center began making washable face masks to distribute to other centers to help prevent the spread.

1. COVID19
And Direct Provision

2. Do You KnowWhat Direct Provision is?
No! That's okay, in fact most people aren't totally sure
Tosum it up, Direct Provision is the system whereby the Irish Government
houses and processes asylum seekers
The process is overseen by the Reception and Integration Agency

3. Well that’s great, but I’m
still not soclear!

4. Direct Provision E plained
The Reception and Integration Agency defines it
as ‘a means of meeting the basic needs of food
and shelter for asylum seekers directly while
their claims for refugee status are being
processed rather than through full cash
payments.’
The process should take 6 months at most, at
which point the person claiming asylum is
either given refugee status or deported
However the average amount of time spent in
the system is 2 years, for some people the
experience has lasted 10 or 12 years

5. Do the terms
‘Refugee’and
‘Asylum Seeker’
mean the same
thing?
Notexactly!
An asylum seeker is someone looking to
be granted protection as a refugee
outside their country of origin and is
waiting to be giving status
A refugee is someone who has had to leave
their country of origin because of “a well-
founded fear of persecution”
These are often used interchangeably but: an
asylum-seekeris someonewho claimshe or
she is a refugee, but whose claim has not
yet been evaluated by the authorities in the
country in which theyapply

6. Sohow does
theCoronavirus play
into this all?
These uncertain times are frightening
and confusing for us all
They are made even worse however by the
less that ideal living situation in Direct
Provision centers

7. Direct Provision centers are normally old
hotels or boardingschools
They usually have shared living
spaces, sometimes with one
family to a room
In cases of single asylum seekers, it is
not uncommon to be housed in a dorm-like
setting with multiplestrangers
Thetight living spaces can led to poor
hygiene standards makingit easierfor
illness to spread

8. COVID19 in DPCenters
As COVID19 is a highly transferable
virus, concerns for those in DP
quickly rose once the first Irish case
was announced
The crowded centers and the delay of
2 weeks in symptom visibility means
that one infected person could
easily spread the virus to all staff
and residents before showing
serioussymptoms
In an attempt to alleviate
the
impact, the government
opened
isolation facilities with in excess
of
300 beds for those in
Direct
Provision who test
positive

9. How areAsylum Seekers
Tackling theVirus
Tohelp tackle the virus the
‘Sanctuary Masks Initiative’ was
founded
The initiative was established by
‘Better Together’ and the ‘Cork
Migrant Center’
Women living in the Kinsale road
center in Cork began making
washable face masks to
distribute to centers across the
country

10. Wehope this was informative and inspiring for
you
ThisPandemic is a defining point in our history and how
we tackle it will affect us all in the future
Please stay safe during these uncertain times
If you would like to becomeinvolved, there are a numberof DPrelated
organisation across the country