Greece, Malta quarantine refugee camps after COVID-19 cases confirmed

A second refugee camp in Greece has been put into quarantine after an Afghan resident tested positive for coronavirus, the country’s Migration Ministry said on Sunday.

According to the Ministry, the Afghan man who lives at the Malakasa camp, which is located near Athens, has been transferred to a hospital in the capital while tests on his contacts, staff and any people with suspected symptoms are in process.

The camp is currently sheltering over 1,700 people. Under the quarantine rules, no one will be allowed to enter or leave the camp for 14 days, with the police monitoring the implementation of the restrictions.

Last week, the Ritsona refugee camp on the Greek mainland was the first camp to be quarantined, after 20 of its residents tested positive for the COVID-19.

So far, Greece has reported 1,735 coronavirus cases and 76 fatalities.

Meanwhile, in Malta, a COVID-19 outbreak in the Hal Far refugee camp has placed about 1,000 African residents under mandatory quarantine, the country’s Health Minister Chris Fearne said on Sunday.

Fearne said that eight cases had been confirmed in two days, all of which had been placed in isolation, while the rest of the camp’s residents will be put in a 14-day quarantine.

He added that medical care will be provided at the site, while army trucks and police have been deployed at and around the camp’s area.

To date, Malta has reported 241 coronavirus cases and no deaths.