Published : 13-03-2020
Scores of Palestinian refugees seeking shelter on Greek islands have been panic-stricken over recent weeks after reports of new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country.
The helpless refugees have no proper medical or hygienic kit to battle a looming pandemic of the coronavirus, as the number of new infections increased outside China, including in Greece, whose government has taken a tough stance on migration.
A few days earlier, Greece said it will tighten border controls to prevent the spread of coronavirus, focusing on island routes used by migrants to enter the country.
Last week, Greece reported two new cases of coronavirus, bringing its total of confirmed cases to three - two in the northern city of Thessaloniki and one in Athens.
Greece is a gateway for refugees and asylum seekers fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond, with more than one million having passed through the country in 2015 and 2016.
Thousands of Palestinian refugees and other migrants are stuck in overcrowded refugee camps in conditions aid organizations say are appalling and which the government itself has described as a “ticking health bomb”.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a cabinet meeting on Thursday that “islands are already overburdened with public health issues and they must be doubly protected”.
The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR says there are more than 40,000 refugees and asylum seekers on Greek islands. Many have waited for months for their applications to be processed.
Scores of Palestinian refugees seeking shelter on Greek islands have been panic-stricken over recent weeks after reports of new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country.
The helpless refugees have no proper medical or hygienic kit to battle a looming pandemic of the coronavirus, as the number of new infections increased outside China, including in Greece, whose government has taken a tough stance on migration.
A few days earlier, Greece said it will tighten border controls to prevent the spread of coronavirus, focusing on island routes used by migrants to enter the country.
Last week, Greece reported two new cases of coronavirus, bringing its total of confirmed cases to three - two in the northern city of Thessaloniki and one in Athens.
Greece is a gateway for refugees and asylum seekers fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond, with more than one million having passed through the country in 2015 and 2016.
Thousands of Palestinian refugees and other migrants are stuck in overcrowded refugee camps in conditions aid organizations say are appalling and which the government itself has described as a “ticking health bomb”.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a cabinet meeting on Thursday that “islands are already overburdened with public health issues and they must be doubly protected”.
The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR says there are more than 40,000 refugees and asylum seekers on Greek islands. Many have waited for months for their applications to be processed.
