Covid-19 in Greece: refugee camps still confined despite dangers

Text by: RFI Follow

The Greek government has announced a further extension - until July 5 - of confinement in the five migrant camps set up on the Aegean islands. This fourth extension for health reasons linked to Covid 19 is disputed by NGOs, including Médecins sans Frontières, which points out that no case of contamination has been discovered in the camps.

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The Greek government has already extended confinement to the country's refugee and migrant camps three times. He did it on May 10, May 21 and June 7 and therefore again on Saturday June 21 and until July 5. For the NGO Médecins sans frontières which supports these migrants, this is an unjustified and dangerous decision. 

Unjustified because the epidemic situation in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic is under control. With 190 deaths from the coronavirus, Greece was less affected than its European partners by the pandemic. Among the migrants, no deaths from Covid-19 disease have been recorded and only a few dozen cases have been reported, according to the authorities. Moreover, according to Stephan Oberreit, joined by Jelena Tomic, the international service of RFI, MSF head of mission in Greece, "  To say that the camp  of Moria (the main camp on the island of Lesbos Ed)  presents a health danger wrong! There are currently no cases of coronavirus in the camp; there haven't been any so far… ”

A dangerous decision also because more than 33,000 asylum seekers live in five camps on the Aegean islands, with a capacity for only 5,400 people, and some 70,000 others in other facilities on the continent. "  We are very worried about the situation in the camp," continues Stephan Oberreit . First, because of the promiscuity. People are in a situation of not being able to apply sanitary measures, of having social distanciations, of not being able to wash their hands properly ... ” If only one person catches the virus here, you can be sure that the whole camp will die because there are not enough doctors, testified on Monday to AFP an asylum seeker from Afghanistan who has been living in Moria for eight months.

Another danger, besides overcrowding, is the continuous arrival of migrants. " The danger comes more from the outside," continues Stephan Oberreit . This is what worries us most ... new arrivals from Turkey who are not sufficiently well tested, quarantined " in the event of a positive test at Covid-19.

" I t must protect more people from these external threats, and above all, this camp should not exist. This camp is not in a position to be able to protect people, if ever the virus were to arrive in the camp,  “finally reminds Stephan Oberreit .

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• European Union
• Greece
• Refugees
• Immigration

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