Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has called on Greece to move migrants most at risk of contracting coronavirus out of overcrowded and squalid camps on the Aegean islands. Rights groups warn that the pandemic opens the door to mass detention.
“The European Union has asked Greece to move migrants most at risk of contracting the coronavirus from overcrowded camps on its islands, the EU’s top migration official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said Athens had opposed moving the migrants to the Greek mainland, citing the absence of coronavirus cases in the camps while the disease is spreading elsewhere in Greece.”
EU asks Greece to move migrants most at risk from coronavirus out of crowded camps (ekathimerini, link)
See also:
- Greece: Move Asylum Seekers, Migrants to Safety: Immediate Hotspot Decongestion Needed to Address COVID-19 (Human Rights Watch, link)
- COVID-19 PAVES WAY FOR MASS DETENTION OF MIGRANTS (Lesvos Legal Centre, link)