Coronavirus: Greece quarantines migrant camp after 20 asylum seekers test positive

Aid agencies warn of ‘brutal’ consequences if Covid-19 takes hold in crowded refugee settlements

Greece has placed an entire migrant camp in quarantine after 20 asylum seekers tested positive for coronavirus.

Sixty-three people were tested after a teenager who gave birth in hospital in Athens was found to be infected, the migration ministry said on Thursday.

The 19-year-old woman became the first recorded case among the tens of thousands of asylum seekers living in overcrowded camps across Greece, which even the government has described as a “ticking health bomb”.

“The conditions are far from being ideal but I should also point out that Greece is dealing with this problem basically on its own. We haven’t had as much support from the European Union as we want,” said prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday evening.

None of the 20 people confirmed as having Covid-19 in the Ritsona camp had shown any symptoms, the migration ministry said, adding that it was continuing to test people.

The site, about 45 miles northeast of Athens and a temporary home to hundreds of people, will be locked down for 14 days with police enforcing the quarantine.​

None of the new cases showed any symptoms, the ministry said, adding that it was continuing its tests.

“This news confirms what we have been repeatedly calling for – it is urgently needed to evacuate migrants out of the Greek islands to EU countries,” said Leila Bodeux, policy and advocacy officer for aid agency Caritas Europa.

Greece, which recorded its first coronavirus case at the end of February, has reported 1,415 cases so far, and 50 deaths. It is the gateway to Europe for those fleeing conflicts and poverty in the Middle East and beyond, with more than a million people passing through during the migrant crisis of 2015-16.

But displaced people still stuck in those regions face a crisis when coronavirus eventually strikes there. Medics in Syria have told The Independent that they lack any capacity to treat Covid-19 patients; Yemen is currently dealing with the worst cholera outbreak in modern history; and Libyan doctors say they are already swamped by patients with battlefield injuries.

The UN and other agencies have raised fears for refugees in war-torn areas who lack access to basic resources during the pandemic. “I am especially concerned for those without water to wash their hands,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN refugee chief, in a recent emergency appeal. “For those in overcrowded settlements unable to distance themselves from others. Now is the time for solidarity and compassion.”

Jan Egeland, of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said earlier this week: “When the coronavirus strikes overcrowded settlements or countries devastated by war and conflict, where hospitals have been bombed and the health system has collapsed, the consequences will be brutal.”

The Greek coronavirus cases came as two migrants in Calais also tested positive for the pathogen, Le Parisien reported. The paper reported that French authorities were finalising plans to shelter migrants and that up to 1,000 were currently living in Calais.

Additional reporting by Reuters