Mobility During Pandemics: Moving Borders and Citizenship into Uncharted Territories

Abstract: During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,
governments implemented travel restrictions and self-isolation,
decreasing mobility for most individuals, but also permitted
repatriation and ‘essential’ work, increasing mobility
for others. How has the governance of human mobility
from March to August 2020 affected the concepts of borders
and citizenship? Drawing on evidence from countries
in the European Union and South America—regions with
more fluid intraregional mobility pre-pandemic—we compare
states’ reactions to evaluate moving borders and citizenship.
We find fluctuating internal borders and external
borders pushing further into other territories. By differentiating
between people and essential work, governments deteriorated
the rule of law since the frequently changed measures
undermined individuals’ ability to predict mobility
and income. Migrants were additionally affected because
of legal statuses of being a resident national, emigrant, dual
national, temporary or permanent immigrant, or having
an irregular status. Short-term policy reactions may lead to
long-term consequences; we foresee exceptions and control
mechanisms under expanded Leviathan-style approaches
could continue to affect individual mobility in and between
countries.