RPT - UNHCR Urges Greece To Expedite Refugees' Transfer From Islands To Mainland Amid Pandemic

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2020) The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is calling on Greece to expedite the relocation of asylum seekers from overcrowded camps on the islands to the mainland due to the coronavirus threat, the UNHCR spokesperson in the country told Sputnik in an interview.

Greece has so far recorded 2,490 cumulative coronavirus cases, including 130 deaths. Unlike in many countries in Europe, daily new cases in Greece rarely surpass two-digit numbers. On Tuesday, however, the country reported that 148 asylum seekers living in a migrant hotel in the southern town of Kranidi and two staff had tested positive for the virus. No infections have so far been reported among asylum seekers on the islands, according to the UNHCR.

"With COVID-19 aggravating pre-existing and longstanding protection concerns, UNHCR is reiterating its call on the Greek government - with enhanced support from the EU - to increase the transfer of asylum-seekers, especially those who are most vulnerable, from the islands to appropriate accommodation on the mainland, taking all necessary precautions for safe movement," Stella Nanou said.

At the same time, the UNHCR is backing efforts to "shield" the elderly and the immune-compromised population living in the islands' camps, as they are most vulnerable to COVID-19 complications.

"The shielding initiative includes expedited transfers to apartments that are part of the EC-funded ESTIA scheme [European Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation] or other appropriate facilities, and to contracted hotels on the Aegean islands," she explained.

According to Nanou, the UNHCR has already moved over 760 people from the islands' reception centers to safer accommodation "to protect them and to minimize public health risks."

The Greek government has introduced its own preventative measures, restricting the movement in and out of reception centers and setting up facilities for screening and quarantine.

The agency, the UNCHR spokesperson added, is helping such centers to increase water and sanitation capacity, deliver hygiene items and establish and furnish medical facilities for screening and quarantine. To raise coronavirus awareness among asylum seekers, the UNHCR is running helplines and providing interpretation services. It is also offering support to unaccompanied children, including in their independent living.

Greece is one of the main entry points for migrants seeking to reach Europe. International organizations and rights groups have repeatedly urged the national authorities to relocate migrants and asylum seekers from overpopulated island camps.