Statistics released in October show that migrants from particular communities in Ireland experience a higher rate of COVID-19 infection than the general population. It has been reported that the top nationalities on that list are Brazilians and Moldovans. In addition, residents of the Direct Provision system for people seeking international protection also experience a higher rate of infection.

The infection rate for the general population is around 2.5%, whereas for Brazilians it stands at 2.66%, for Moldovans at 11.7% and for residents of the Direct Provision system, 4%. These high infection rates are linked to types of employment. Many members of minority communities are front-line workers in low paid sectors such as care, cleaning, food delivery and food production. There has been a severe outbreak of infection in meat factories where many Moldovan nationals are employed, for example. On top of this, many members of the most affected communities live in overcrowded accommodation where social distancing is not possible. 

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