be left behind or extended families may see advantages in organising some households to protect existing land, houses or businesses. Those sent away often join existing communities of displaced people with shared languages, cultures or histories who, in turn, may help more migrants navigate their ways there. 11 Hybrid authorities and plural cultures of displacement: Through processes of place- and home-making, displaced people create new cultures and systems which enable communal healing, coping and resocialisation.11,13 Very often, the places where forcibly displaced people settle become sites of plural or hybrid authorities. Humanitarian programmes, religious organisations, elders' committees and customary courts, political and civil society organisations and local financing cooperatives operate alongside each other, offering various opportunities for leadership and participation, including in collaborating with public health interventions. COVID-19 IN DISPLACEMENT SETTINGS In the first quarter of 2020, as the epidemic looked set to affect all regions of the globe, crisis-affected populations, particularly those living in refugee and IDP camps were among the first groups international public health responses prioritised for preparedness efforts. In the second quarter, public health preparedness activities across humanitarian settings in the Middle East and East Africa have consisted of: ◼ Community engagement and COVID-19 education; ◼ Reinforcement and expansion of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure by constructing hand-washing points in communal areas (in markets, at health facilities, at settlement gates) and increasing supplies of water and soap in camps and settlements; ◼ Organising community groups to sew washable face masks; ◼ Adapting essential humanitarian services normally delivered using mass gatherings, including food distributions, to suit physical distancing requirements of COVID-19 control; ◼ Adopting remote and community-based models of delivery for some health services; ◼ Training of staff and equipping health facilities to improve infection control and COVID-19 case management capabilities; and ◼ Construction, renovation or conversion of existing structures into COVID-19 quarantine or isolation units; As of June 2020, there has been no large-scale outbreak amongst IDP and refugee populations in countries considered for this brief in either region, though local transmission is ongoing in all countries of the Middle East and North Africa, the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region.14-15 Moreover, most KEY CONSIDERATIONS: COVID-19 AND FORCED DISPLACEMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND EAST AFRICA Contact: a.wilkinson@ids.ac.uk 5