Flurry of tests as COVID hits Greece's biggest migrant camp

A major testing and contact-tracing operation at Greece's largest migrant camp on eastern island of Lesbos has so far detected 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among overcrowded facility's 12,500 residents, authorities said Tuesday.

Health and migration ministry officials said medical teams have carried out 1,600 tests for coronavirus at Moria facility — initially designed to hold 2,800 people — and ar 400 will follow over next few days.

camp has been quarantined until Sept. 15, with a police cordon to enforce entry and exit ban.

Migration Minister tis Mitarachi said late Monday infections were all linked with one Somali man who left camp after being granted asylum in Greece, went to Ans but failed to find work and housing re and returned to Moria. Health officials weren't immediately able Tuesday to confirm that virus h been spre by one man.

Rights groups and charities working with migrants have repeatedly criticized Greece for living conditions in Moria, which consists of a main camp surrounded by a sprawling tent city.

Since pandemic broke out, Greek officials focused on preventing COVID-19 outbreaks at cramped eastern Aegean Sea island camps, quarantining people who arrive on smugglers' boats from Turkey and testing for virus before allowing m into camps. strategy worked until last week, when Somali man returned to live in a tent outside main camp.

Mitarachi said in Monday's interview with private Alpha TV that incident strengned government's resolve to eventually build closed island centers for asylum-seekers, where entry and exit would be strictly controlled.

“It worries us, and that is why we need closed centers that will provide more for each asylum-seeker,” he said. “People who are granted asylum must leave centers” after being given formal refugee status, he said.

Mir COVID-19 outbreaks have also been recorded in some mainland camps, which, however, are much smaller than island facilities and where it's harder for virus to spre unchecked.

Lockdown measures during first phase of pandemic and tighter monitoring of land and sea borders with Turkey — from which most asylum-seekers enter European Union country — have substantially reduced migratory flows into Greece.

According to U.N. figures, about 12,000 people have entered Greece so far this year. For whole of 2019, total arrivals were 75,000.

Mitarachi said that this summer, for first time, number of migrants arriving in Greece was smaller than number of those leaving country — eir through relocation programs to or EU countries or by being deported after being refused formal refugee status.

Greece’s ecomy is in a pandemic-induced recession, as it was starting to recover from a 10-year financial crisis, and unemployment is around 17%.

“ truth is that our country is t an attractive destination for migrants and refugees as far as job market is concerned,” Mitarachi said.