**5. Discussion**

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures imposed to confront it have seriously affected daily life and have created a new social reality marked by numerous precautions and restrictions for the total population worldwide. These measures are aimed at both the avoidance of virus spread and broad transmission and the protection of public health. Special groups of the population, due to vulnerability, such as conditions of living (adequate housing, food, access to health services, personal health condition) pose unprecedented

challenges for every State in managing the new, urgen<sup>t</sup> and demanding situation, as well as in safeguarding their life and dignity. Especially when national vaccination plans started to be implemented in all EU Member States, third-country nationals who live in precarious conditions were left, to a large extent, less protected, forgotten, abandoned and non-prioritized compared to native citizens and State nationals by most of the Member States' policies.

Studying the relevant official Greek policies through documentary and archival research we realize that the already precarious population of asylum-seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants, under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, continued to reside in crowded facilities, lacking adequate hygiene and being mostly unvaccinated for at least half a year after the national vaccination plan had been launched. Moreover, they have remained quarantined in the same undignified living conditions for a much longer period compared to that provided for the Greek citizens. In addition, the grea<sup>t</sup> category of those in camps was 'detained' in crowded spaces, although research evidence showed that it was more likely to be inflicted by the COVID-19 virus. Their segregation and invisibility, or, otherwise, their extended social control and encampment, were the effects of consecutive administrative decisions and legal regulations against all scientific evidence and human rights approaches which truly advocate to the contrary.

Concerning vaccination, marginalized third-country nationals have not been included in the first, second or even the third phase of the Greek National Vaccination Plan, despite the fact that the WHO and other international bodies such as the UNHCR provide guidance for prioritization of those living in harsh conditions. Bureaucratic hindrances such as the issue of a Social Security Number (AMKA) refrained them from being registered to receive a vaccine. The specific administrative provisions provided for the acquisition of a temporary security number (PAMKA) allowed for only part of these populations to be included for vaccination. Yet, migrant and refugee vaccination plans were implemented six months later than the general population vaccination plan and only when it was made clear that the available vaccines were sufficient enough to cover the entire Greek population. Segregation also infiltrated the way migrant and refugee populations had access to a vaccine brand. Their vaccination process was also 'camped' since it could only be operated inside the walls of their residence camp and restricted to twice a week administration of dosages.

Most importantly discrimination, further freedom restrictions and diverse levels of exclusion influenced more deeply the migrant/refugee populations as 'non-citizens'. They were subdued to a life of (a) time restrictions since they have not been prioritized regardless of their harsh conditions which make them more vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus; (b) choice restrictions since they are not offered the opportunity to choose the vaccine brand they wish to be vaccinated with; and (c) place restrictions since those living in camps can only be vaccinated therein. Even the condition of the pandemic was not able to surpass such a systemic space segregation. On the contrary, all freedom restrictions have been further intensified 'for the protection of public health'.

Inferentially, the body (the 'non-citizen body'), the time factor, the place/milieu restrictions and the lack of free choice are merged in a new inequity complex which tends to reinforce the crimmigrated identity of the controlled subject. It could be stressed that harsh living conditions coupled with the above restrictions form new 'normal' cycles of rejections next to other pre-existing ones.
