Cross-border migration in the era of the pandemic: analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the processes of geographical mobility

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about dramatic changes in all areas of public life, both at the country and global levels. In a situation of disorientation in which national governments found themselves in the spring of 2020, unprecedented measures were taken to close state borders, which led to a cessation or a sharp reduction in migration inflows. However, it soon became clear that the dependence of a number of sectors of the economy on migrant labor is so significant that it requires a significant mitigation/removal of the imposed restrictions. Thus, management structures are facing a serious challenge, namely the need to choose a course in migration policy that reflects a reasonable balance between the imperatives of socio-economic development and the imperatives of security in the health sector.