COVID-19 in Cox’s Bazar sanctioned and military-led genocidal campaign, 4 to join around 300,000 Rohingya refugees who were already settled in the Cox’s Bazar area of Bangladesh. 5 Cox’s Bazar is now home to one of the world’s largest and densest refugee camps in this cross-border region. 6 On 14 May 2020, the first official case of COVID-19 was detected in the camps. 7 On 2 June 2020, the first official COVID-19 related death was reported by Bangladeshi authorities. 8 Later in the year, the World Health Organization (‘WHO’) reported that, ‘as of 11 November 2020, 348 confirmed cases and 10 deaths were reported in the Rohingya refugee camps.’ 9 Although these numbers are not strikingly high, the risk factors in refugee camps warrant particular attention. METHODOLOGY A combination of desk-based research from secondary sources, both academic and grey literature, and the personal experiences of Saifullah Muhammad, a Rohingya genocide survivor, were canvassed to identify themes related to how the people in the camps are coping with the pandemic. 10 Having grown up in the camps, many of Muhammad’s immediate family and friends continue to live there. His current, on-the-ground observations from his contacts are thus valuable, timely insights. We collated the desk-based research with his narrative evidence to illustrate what life has been like in the camps during the COVID-19 pandemic. FINDINGS Several main themes stand out in our findings. First, food and water sources are even more scarce during the pandemic. Second, housing is inadequate and insecure during the best times in the camps, let alone during a pandemic. Third, there is a lack of access to adequate healthcare and a shortage of medical supplies and testing capabilities. Other services, such as education, have also been curtailed. Fourth, due to a long-standing internet blackout, there has been a lack of access to reliable information, and misinformation is rampant. Fifth, sexual and 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (‘UNHCR’), ‘Rohingya Emergency’ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Web Page, 31 July 2019) <https://www.unhcr.org/rohingya-emergency.html>. Assessment Capacities Project, ‘Rohingya Crisis: Situation Analysis November 2017 – Bangladesh’ Reliefweb (Report 22 November 2017) <https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/rohingya-crisis-situation-analysis-november-2017>. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (n 4). World Health Organization, ‘6 Months Later: How has Covid-19 Impacted the Life of the First Rohingya Patient?’ World Health Organization (online, 12 November 2020) < https://www.who.int/bangladesh/news/detail/12-11-2020-6-months-later-how-has-covid-19impacted-the-life-of-the-first-rohingya-patient>. The Associated Press, ‘Bangladesh Confirms 1st Death of Rohingya from Coronavirus’ CTV News (online, 2 June 2020) <https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/bangladeshconfirms-1st-death-of-rohingya-from-coronavirus-1.4965114>; Aid workers are also susceptible to the virus. See Dr Ishaat Nabila, ‘Here’s What It’s Like to Battle COVID-19 Inside the World’s Largest Refugee Camp’ Save the Children (online) <https://www.savethechildren.org/us/charity-stories/health-care-worker-fighting-covid-19rohingya-refugee-camp>. World Health Organization (n 7). Disclaimer: The on-the-ground insights from the camps are limited to the information transmitted informally to Saifullah Muhammad, a co-contributor to this article. 149