In Greece, a migration center 40 kilometers from Athens was quarantined due to a coronavirus infection. This was reported by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum of the country.

“Full sanitary quarantine has been introduced this morning for 14 days in the“ old hospitality structure ”in Malakas. This decision was made after a case of infection with the COVID-19 virus was detected in the structure. A 53-year-old Afghan man who lived in the house of the structure with his family fell ill, ”the agency reports to RIA Novosti.

The Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, decided to introduce a categorical ban on entry and exit from this part of the center - police patrols were put up around the perimeter.

Recall that in Malakas several years ago a migrant reception center for 2.5 thousand people was built. And from mid-March, a “new closed structure” began to operate there, which now accommodates part of those who illegally entered the country after March 1, 2020, when Turkey announced the opening of the border with Europe. This category of persons is prohibited from leaving the camp.

A few days ago, the coronavirus was also detected at the reception center for migrants and refugees on the Greek island of Euboea. Confirmed 23 cases of the disease.

As noted by the international independent humanitarian medical organization Doctors Without Borders, there are no conditions for maintaining hygiene in migration centers in Greece and there is a high probability of the spread of infection.

The day before, members of the European Parliament called for measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Greek migration centers. According to representatives of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, the refugee situation in Greece requires a coordinated effort from the EU to avoid an outbreak of coronavirus infection COVID-19.

Recall, at the moment, Greece has suspended the work of the asylum service. Information about this was posted on the agency’s website on March 13. It is noted that such a measure was taken in order to protect public health and limit the further spread of coronavirus infection.

  • Team Humanity member handing out hand-made protective masks to migrants and refugees in Greece, March 28, 2020
  • AFP
  • © Manolis Lagoutaris

In turn, in mid-March, Berlin decided on a temporary basis to ban entry and exit from Germany to persons under the Dublin Regulation, which governs the issue of asylum in the EU.

“In order to contain the pandemic of the coronavirus infection COVID-19 and prevent further chain transmission of the infection within the EU, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has been instructed to temporarily suspend the entry and exit from Germany of persons under the Dublin Regulation. This directive comes into force immediately, ”the message on the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees says.

It is also noted that a number of other EU member states have already suspended “movements within the Dublin Regulation and canceled the planned transportations”. In particular, Austria, Hungary, Belgium and the Netherlands stopped accepting refugees.

Recall that earlier EU countries agreed on a temporary restriction on entry into the territory of the European Union due to the spread of coronavirus. This was stated by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen March 17 during a press conference.

“EU Member States actively supported this initiative, and now the implementation of this measure depends on them. EU countries said they would do it immediately. This is good, because we must have a single position on the issue of external borders. Our proposal was met with great enthusiasm, ”said the head of the EC.

All these steps were taken in response to the threat of an even greater spread of coronavirus, a pandemic of which was announced on March 11 by the World Health Organization. According to Johns Hopkins University, a total of more than 1.25 million people are confirmed to have the disease, and more than 68 thousand people have died. In Europe, Spain (over 130 thousand cases) became the leader in the number of infected people, followed by Italy (about 129 thousand cases), Germany (more than 100 thousand) and France (about 90 thousand).

“Having difficulty”

According to Vladimir Schweitzer, head of the department of social and political studies at the Institute of Europe at the Russian Academy of Sciences, the European Union continues to search for forms and methods of combating coronavirus infection. And restricting migration is one of the measures to stabilize the situation inside the EU, the expert notes.

“Migration flows within Europe are, in fact, a poorly controlled mass of people, and often completely uncontrolled. Within the EU, the mobility of such flows is extremely high, as this is facilitated by the principle of open borders. And all this does not at all fit into the main mechanism of the fight against coronavirus - social distance and localization of the source of infection, ”the analyst said.

  • EU flags
  • Reuters
  • © Yves Herman

Schweitzer emphasizes that in Europe they began to take measures late to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection, so the tightening of migration conditions can not significantly affect the solution to the problem.

“The EU leadership is not able to control the situation. Brussels and the European healthcare system were not ready for the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, they have not progressed either in creating certain conditions for the fight against coronavirus, or in preventive medical care - they are generally very ill with this. But the situation with refugees and the risk of spread of infection among them is even worse, ”said Schweitzer.

In his opinion, the risk of total spread of coronavirus infection among migrants in southern Europe is particularly high. “It is in these states that refugees often live in unsanitary conditions, which is the most favorable environment for COVID-19. Other reasons are the lack of discipline of southerners and poor organization in migration structures, ”Schweitzer explained.

In turn, Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, noted that despite the closure of borders, the European Commission and EU countries "still have difficulties in managing migration flows."

“The same applies to regulating the stay of migrants in the EU. In addition, the European community is experiencing difficulties with financing in a pandemic, and this is an additional incentive for refusing at least temporarily to accept refugees, ”the expert said.

At the same time, Olenchenko predicts that a tightening of migration policy will inevitably lead to social tension in European society.

“Relations between migrants and indigenous people will deteriorate. The increase in unemployment in the EU will be an additional factor for this. Therefore, after Europe defeats the coronavirus, it will encounter another problem that Brussels can take no less time to solve, ”the analyst concluded.