Greek authorities quarantined a town on Tuesday near a hotel in the Peloponnese (south) that hosts migrants. One hundred and forty-eight of the 470 asylum seekers living at this beach hotel, as well as two staff, have tested positive for coronavirus, but are asymptomatic, said Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Nikos Hardalias . Five kilometers from the hotel, the city of Kranidi was quarantined for two weeks and subjected to a curfew at night.
An organized test campaign
"Many children" are among the asylum seekers staying in the hotel, the minister said. They are mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Ministry of Migration. A 28-year-old Somali migrant, pregnant, was the first positive test for Covid-19.
Authorities had already confined the hotel last week, but residents still went to local stores and banks, Mayor Yannis Georgopoulos told state television ERT. "Everyone who has been in contact (with asylum seekers) will be tested," he said.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in charge of the residence stated that "interpreters, psychologists, social workers and legal advisers are in constant contact with the beneficiaries to help them in this difficult situation".
116 coronavirus deaths in Greece
About 100,000 migrants are currently stranded in Greece since other European countries closed their borders to them in 2016. The government announced last week its intention to transfer vulnerable asylum seekers living in the island's overcrowded camps to the continent.
Two camps on the mainland, in the Attica region, have recorded several cases of coronavirus. The Immigration Ministry has decided to extend the confinement imposed on all camps in Greece until May 10.
Greece has 116 coronavirus deaths while 61 people are currently in intensive care.
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