'Crisis within a crisis': Refugee advocates concerned after COVID-19 cases confirmed in South Sudan camp

The problem is compounded by the closure of international borders, which is putting resettlement travel on ice.

It's a concerning development for Kiwi Adeline Guerra, who works for Oxfam as an aid worker in Israel. She's especially worried about the impact on refugee camps around the world.

"You're talking about people who are not able to social distance. They don't have homes - what they are living in is supposed to be temporary situations," she says.

As countries close their borders and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees suspends resettlement travel, there's an added layer of uncertainty for some refugees.

"It's a crisis within a crisis," Guerra says.

New Zealand's own refugee claims have taken a dive, dropping from more than 40 per month to only three in April.

We're also unlikely to meet our resettlement quota of 1000 refugees this year, something Amnesty International advocacy and policy manager Annaliese Johnston says devastating.

"Some people are waiting up to 17 years for a new home," she says.

New Zealand's refugee quota was set to be increased to 1500 this year. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says that will happen if it's safe to do so.

"Once we have taken up an agreement to take a certain number, it's kind of a political commitment on our part," international law Professor Alberto Costi from Victoria University says.

But it's not a legal commitment under international law, although advocates hope we'll honour it.

"We want to make sure that any loss in those numbers is made up in future years," Johnston says.

Calls are now being made to come up with a refugee contingency plan so New Zealand can play its part.