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Published 16:11 IST, September 18th 2020

Greece: Police move more homeless migrants to new tent camp

Police on the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday resumed relocating migrants rendered homeless when fires ravaged the country's largest refugee camp amid a local COVID-19 outbreak.

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Police on the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday resumed relocating migrants rendered homeless when fires ravaged the country's largest refugee camp amid a local COVID-19 outbreak.

Of the 5,000 people moved to a new army-built camp on the island, 135 so far have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.

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More than 12,000 migrants and refugees fled the fires that the Greek government maintains some Afghan migrants deliberately set last week to protest a virus lockdown at the Moria camp. Thousands have slept outdoors on a nearby roadside in the nights since the blazes.

Police began moving more people into the new camp early Friday. Some migrants carried infants on their backs or pulled plastic vegetable crates loaded with their belongings.

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Government officials said they expected the operation to last through Sunday.

16:11 IST, September 18th 2020