Horror for refugees as conditions make coronavirus more deadly

In Greece overcrowded refugee camps on islands in the Aegean sea have been put on lockdown.

Tens of thousands of refugees trapped on the islands are being asked to stay inside.

Whole families are told to stay inside tents or tiny corners inside converted shipping containers.

One child was killed in a fire in a container in the Moria camp on the island of Lesvos on Monday of last week.

In Moria there are now only five doctors and seven nurses for more than 20,000 residents.

Sanitation is a major worry. The Greek government said cleaning services would be bolstered inside the camps.

But a source inside Moria told Socialist Worker that rubbish is piling up and human waste spilling out onto the paths.

There is just one water tap for every 1,300 people in some parts of the camp.

Socialist Worker has seen footage of refugees desperately scrambling for bottled water distributed at the camp’s gates.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders called on the Greek government to evacuate the camps and give refugees safety on the mainland.

The charity’s medical coordinator in Greece, Hilde Vochten, said, “Recommended measures such as frequent hand washing and social distancing are just impossible.”

Elsewhere in northern France, aid workers say refugees feel “scared, ignored and abandoned” in the face of the growing coronavirus crisis.

Around 800 refugees are trapped in squalid conditions at Britain’s border in Calais and northern France.

One British aid volunteer told Socialist Worker, “There is a huge health risk.

“People don’t eat properly, their immune systems are shot to ribbons, they live in damp conditions and many have respiratory problems.”

Kiarash, an Iranian refugee, told Socialist Worker, “It is really important that there are support agencies still coming in.

“It would be a disaster for refugees if the aid was withdrawn.”