As fear and anxiety around COVID-19 spreads around the world, many people are starting to ask difficult questions about how the pandemic will impact our human rights. Aren’t border controls necessary for containing the virus? Do quarantines or government enforced curfews impose on our right to move freely?

In times like these, it is even more important for us to be able to speak confidently about what states are obligated to do to protect human rights. That’s why we created an online learning course to help you navigate COVID-19.

The course outlines the many human rights implications of a global pandemic, including limitations on right to health, right to free speech and an increase in discrimination and xenophobia. It also clearly outlines states’ human rights obligations and what they should and should not do when responding to a pandemic.

Information is powerful, so at the end of the course we’ll give you a list of things that you can do to share what you’ve learned and help amplify a message of hope and solidarity around the world.

States are not responsible for COVID-19, but they are responsible for how they respond to it. The virus cannot be used as an excuse to roll back on fundamental human rights. World leaders should know that even in times of uncertainty, Amnesty and its supporters will continue to call out human rights violators wherever we see them.