Greece quarantines camp as 20 refugees test positive for coronavirus

Ritsona refugee camp in Greece has been placed under quarantine for two weeks after 20 of its residents tested positive for the COVID-19.
Dozens of people in the camp were tested after a woman who had been living in the camp was found to be infected with the coronavirus after giving birth at a hospital in Athens last week.
The Greek Ministry of Migration said that none of the 20 people who contracted the virus showed any symptoms, adding that it will test more of the 2,500 residents of the camp in the next days.
Under the new measures, movement from and to the camp will be restricted and monitored by the police for the next 14 days.
The latest developments come amid increasing calls from medical NGOs and human rights groups for the evacuation of Greece’s overcrowded refugee camps during the coronavirus pandemic.
Over 40,000 people are hosted in the Greek islands’ camps, while the island of Lesbos alone accommodates more than 20,000 people in a space designed for about 3,000.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said that the spread of the virus to less organised refugee camps ‘‘may result in a massive humanitarian crisis.’’
‘‘This is a danger, both for refugees hosted in third countries outside the EU and for those living in unbearable conditions on the Greek islands,’’ she stated.