ABSTRACT
When in March 2020, the Austrian government informed its citizens on COVID-19-related public curfews; information in the languages of (humanitarian) migrants was delayed and incomplete. In Germany, outbreaks in refugee shelters were insufficiently addressed by officials and sparked xenophobic responses. This chapter explores the factors reinforcing insufficient access to information on COVID-19 health communication campaigns for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Austria and Germany and discusses the various types and effectiveness of information sources targeted at migrant communities. Following the inclusive migrant-sensitive approach, we recommend several health communication strategies, including the early and culturally sensitive translation of health information in the most relevant migrant languages and the involvement of migrants in all stages of the process.
