It has been extensively shown that the COVID-19 pandemic and its related practices of confinement or lock-down may be influencing the persistence of social, economic, and gender disparities. Migrants, especially the millions of labor migrants in Indian cities, have been placed in a particularly vulnerable situation as a consequence of the type of actions that governments enacted in response to the health crisis. This paper discusses a comparative and historical perspective on the circumstances of migrant workers, arguing that the disadvantages they experience are deeply embedded in economic and social structures and have simply come to attention as the consequence of the pandemic. In addition to providing immediate social protection, policies must address the structural issues that keep migrant workers vulnerable.
