Posted Mar 24, 2020

Greece: Move people to safety

Decongestion needed urgently on Greek islands to address COVID-19

Destination Unknown supports the call of 21 human rights and humanitarian organizations, including Destination Unknown members

Greece’s government should immediately reduce congestion in the islands’ Reception and Identification Centers (RICs) for asylum seekers and migrants to avert a public health crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic. 


Thousands of people, including older people, those with chronic diseases, children – including very young and unaccompanied children –, pregnant women, new mothers, and people with disabilities, are trapped in dangerously overcrowded, deplorable conditions on the islands amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Forcing asylum seekers to remain in conditions that violate their rights and are harmful to their well-being, health, and dignity cannot be justified on grounds of public health, the organizations said.


International human rights law requires that the health needs of asylum seekers and migrants be addressed and, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, any restrictions on rights for reasons of public health or national emergency be lawful, necessary, and proportionate as well as nondiscriminatory.

 

"COVID-19 is testing countries, governments and their citizens in new and unprecedented ways. Authorities issue guidelines and protection measures that tell us to stay at home, but what if your home is in a confined refugee settlement?” says Jezerca Tigani, head of Tdh Hellas. “While there are no known cases yet of COVID-19 in the refugee camps where Tdh Hellas is currently providing child protection services— it is possible that the disease hits these communities hard. Also, it is well known from other similar situations around the world that measures used to prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases can expose children to protection risks. We must not forget the children inside the refugee camps!”


On March 17, 2020, Greece’s government announced measures to prevent a coronavirus outbreak in RICs on the islands, the so-called “hotspots,” that essentially put the camps on lockdown, trapping thousands of asylum seekers and migrants. The measures include suspending all special activities and facilities in the camps, including non-formal schools, while no visitors, including members of aid organizations and agencies providing essential services, will be allowed into the RICs for at least two weeks, the Migration and Asylum Ministry said. Camp residents will be prevented through strict controls from venturing outside the facilities, even to get supplies, but also from circulating within them without good reason. 


On March 22, Greece’s prime minister announced a nationwide lockdown banning “all unnecessary movement by citizens.” 


As of March 22, the population of the hotspots on Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos, and Leros was almost 31,400 over capacity, with 37,427 people in facilities with a total capacity of just 6,095. Conditions in the centers cannot be characterized as suitable for dignified, humane living, the groups said. Extremely limited access to running water, toilets, and showers, as well as hours-long lines for food distribution and insufficient medical and nursing personnel, make it impossible to abide by the guidelines for protection from the coronavirus, putting people at significantly heightened risk in the face of the growing threat of widespread COVID-19 transmission.


Greece’s government should adopt measures to prevent an outbreak and prepare a response plan to be enacted immediately once the first case of COVID-19 in a reception center is detected. In the event of an outbreak, a quarantine that would trap tens of thousands of healthy people together with people infected by COVID-19 in the overcrowded camps, accompanied by a lack of adequate and appropriate medical preparedness and response, would almost certainly lead to preventable deaths of numerous people, the organizations said. 

 

Greece’s government should take the measures outlined below, which will reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections among the population living in these centers and generally help protect public health:

 

  • Move people out of the reception centers to appropriate, small-scale centers on the mainland, such as hotels and apartments, taking necessary precautions for safe transport. This will enable the government to carry out the guidelines against the spread of the coronavirus. Priority should be given to older people, people with chronic diseases and serious underlying medical conditions, people with disabilities, pregnant women, new mothers and their children, and children, including those who are unaccompanied. Accommodation for people with disabilities should be reasonably adapted as needed, taking individual needs into account. Suitable shelters for unaccompanied children should be established immediately.

 

  • Adopt special measures to guarantee universal and unhampered free access to healthcare in the public system for asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants alike without discrimination, including testing and treatment for COVID-19. These groups should also have access to any preventive measures put in place in Greece in response to COVID-19, as do people in the rest of Greece. Asylum seekers should receive without delay their Provisional Insurance and Health Care Number (PAAYPA), as mandated by Common Ministerial Decision 717.2020.

 

  • Supply the reception centers with adequate sanitary and hygiene products and ensure continuous running water so that residents can follow the guidelines of the National Public Health Organization and the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding protection from COVID-19. Ensure frequent disinfection of common areas, bathrooms, and toilets, as well as timely collection and removal of waste.

 

  • Provide information to all residents of the reception centers about (a) how to prevent COVID-19 and (b) what to do and how to get help if they experience symptoms of COVID-19 in a wide range of languages, including ones that are less frequently used. People with disabilities should be provided with information in accessible formats, such as sign language, captioning, text, and easy-to-read messages. Ensure necessary responsive measures are available such as self-isolation and quarantine areas, and medical personnel with adequate training and protective gear.

 

  • Urgently address the situation and special needs of people living in the informal settlements adjacent to the camps, as these groups may face additional challenges due to inadequate access to water and sanitation, hygiene products, and garbage collection.

 

  • Ensure, until the reception centers are decongested, that they have adequate numbers of medical and nursing personnel, as well as mental health support services. Where possible, these services could be provided remotely.

 

For more information and interviews, contact Melina Spathari, Advocacy Manager with Tdh Hellas: melina.spathari@tdh.ch / +30 6972070223

Authorities issue guidelines and protection measures that tell us to stay at home, but what if your home is in a confined refugee settlement?

List of Signatories

Action Aid Hellas
Amnesty International
ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth
Defence for Children International Greece
ELIX NGO
Greek Forum of Refugees
Help Refugees / Choose Love
HIAS Greece
HumanRights360
Human Rights Watch
International Rescue Committee
Jesuit Refugee Service Greece (JRS Greece)
Legal Centre Lesvos
Médecins du Monde – Greece (MdM-Greece)
Network for Children's Rights
Praksis
Refugee Legal Support
Refugee Rights Europe
Refugee Support Aegean
Solidarity Now
Terre des hommes Hellas

Stay informed