In the spring 2020, measures introduced across Europe to limit the spread of COVID-19 included, among others, the temporary closure of borders For Romanian and Slovakian live-in carers, this meant they were no longer able to commute between the Austrian households they work in and their respective countries of origin Due to the relatively short cyclical rotas of 2–4 weeks, travel restrictions heavily affected cross-border live-in care between the three countries, which makes them a particular case for studying the effects of pandemic-related measures on transnational care arrangements Drawing on media reports, relevant laws and policies, and interviews with representatives of care workers’ interests, the article examines how live-in care as a whole and care workers in particular were affected by the pandemic and related policy responses such as specific travel arrangements and financial incentives for workers It shows that while live-in carers were deemed critical workers and essential for the long-term care system, the inequalities and dependencies already existing in transnational care arrangements were deepened Care workers’ wants, needs and interests were subordinated to the interests of care recipients, agencies and sending and receiving countries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Global Social Policy is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )
Confronted with COVID-19: Migrant live-in care during the pandemic