Doha – World Cup host Qatar has rejected criticism of dealing with foreign workers during the Corona pandemic.
The country worked closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Labor Organization (ILO) and foreign embassies to ensure the safety of all workers, the government of the Gulf Emirate said at the request of the German Press Agency.
The human rights organization Amnesty International had accused the host of the 2022 World Cup from isolating foreign workers in an area with accommodation on the outskirts of the capital Doha under unworthy circumstances. The government confirmed that it partially blocked the area after workers there were infected with the coronavirus.
Amnesty complained that the hygienic and sanitary conditions there were intolerable. There are horrendous bottlenecks in the supply of drinking water. Eight workers are housed in narrow rooms with bunk beds. The WDR program “Sport Inside” reported that there had been more than 500 corona cases in the area. Workers said there was also a food shortage.
Qatar, on the other hand, said the restricted area is supplied with food, water, and protective materials every day. Patients could be treated for free in health centers. All workers in quarantine and infected would continue to receive their wages. The government had also instructed the companies that a maximum of four people could be accommodated in dormitories.
The World Cup host has reported 2057 corona cases and six deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. According to the organizing committee, there have been no infections on the World Cup construction sites so far. Work continues there.
