U.K.
Germany
Greece
Italy
Portugal

Europe’s latest string of outbreaks all have something in common: poverty https://trib.al/8X05q3e 

Flare-ups have been occurring in some of Europe’s most deprived neighborhoods, often those inhabited by immigrants or minorities who work in low-paid jobs, crucial to buttressing the economy https://trib.al/8X05q3e 

Hundreds of workers in one of Europe’s biggest meat-processing plants in Guetersloh have tested positive for the virus.

Those affected are largely poorly paid Eastern European immigrants, who live together in accommodation for the plant’s workers http://trib.al/8X05q3e 

Leicester is a new coronavirus hotspot and has been forced into lockdown for two more weeks.

The city ranks in the bottom 10% in terms of income deprivation in England, and scores poorly in other areas such as education and health http://trib.al/8X05q3e 

There's been a spike in cases in the town of Mondragone, clustered around a high-rise compound hosting a group of Bulgarian immigrants who work in seasonal agricultural jobs.

The army has been sent in to put the complex under strict surveillance http://trib.al/8X05q3e 

Mondragone ranks in the top 10% of Italian towns with the largest share of immigrants, and the bottom 10% of those for per capita declared income http://trib.al/8X05q3e 

Similar clusters have also appeared Greece and Portugal:

Echinos, in northern Greece, was put under a local “smart lockdown”
19 neighborhoods in the Lisbon region were affected

These areas are deprived, and home to groups of poor minorities http://trib.al/8X05q3e 

There are several reasons why these poor communities are suffering outbreaks:

Worse access to health care
Less access to information about how to protect against the virus
Greater risk of losing their jobs, so avoid testing or seeking treatment http://trib.al/8X05q3e 

Years of neglect of these communities have allowed a whole host of inequalities to build up in terms of:

Education
Job opportunities
Housing
Health care

The coronavirus has forced these inequalities to the surface http://trib.al/8X05q3e 

There’s also a risk these outbreaks cause deep divisions within populations.

In Italy’s Mondragone, tensions arose when some people accused immigrant groups of spreading the virus and failing to respect the rules http://trib.al/8X05q3e 

Governments must strike a difficult balance.

They need to keep citizens informed, but without undermining the privacy of individuals or demonizing entire groups, especially when those citizens are more vulnerable http://trib.al/8X05q3e 

The crisis is providing a much-needed reminder of the many failings in economic and social integration across Europe.

It won’t be easy addressing these problems at a time of profound and widespread insecurity http://trib.al/8X05q3e