At the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, the crowded labour camps, where most Sri Lankan low-wage migrant workers in the Gulf resided, became breeding grounds for COVID-19 and had to be placed in isolation with entry and exit barred. As the year 2020 progressed, lockdowns and other COVID-19 containment measures imposed, coupled with the contraction of Gulf economies caused by the pandemic-led drastic decline in oil prices in the world market, resulted in lay-offs, pay-cuts, delays in payments and other financial issues for migrants belonging to all skill levels.