200 Iranian and Afghan Refugees Quarantined in Greece

Greece has announced that approximately 200 refugees are quarantined on the tourist island of Kios in the Aegean Sea. According to Greek authorities, these refugees will soon be transferred to a camp near Athens, Greece’s capital.

The deputy mayor of the island of Kios in Greece told the French news agency that one of the refugees had a fever and was transferred to Athens along with three pregnant women and an injured refugee for coronavirus testing, while the rest were quarantined in a hotel.

Greek authorities said the refugees will be transferred to the Malakasa camp, 40 kilometers from Athens, after quarantine.

According to the deputy mayor of the island of Kios, the refugees had no contact with local residents and necessary safety measures will be taken during their transfer.

Refugees staying in various refugee camps in Greece are concerned about attacks by local residents and Greek far-right groups.

Aid workers said that since it was confirmed that a resident of the Greek island of Lesbos contracted coronavirus, concerns about the spread of the disease among refugees have increased, as there are fears that the discussion of disease outbreak among refugees could be driven down a dangerous path and refugees could be blamed in this regard.

Regarding the grounded ship, Greek authorities arrested three people on suspicion of involvement in smuggling these refugees.

On Monday, March 16 (Esfand 26), approximately 200 refugees were rescued by the Greek Coast Guard in the Aegean Sea. The refugees were on the deck of a cargo ship that ran aground near the port of the island of Kios due to strong winds. Most of these refugees are from Afghanistan, Iran, and Somalia.

A Red Crescent official said the quarantine would last two weeks but the hotel accommodating the refugees lacks necessary facilities.

Turkey Responds to Greek Border Guards’ Attack

The bitter fate of refugees stranded at the Greece-Turkey border has been forgotten amid the spread of coronavirus in Europe.

Germany was supposed to accept approximately 1,500 children and adolescents stranded in camps and at the Turkey-Greece border, but due to the coronavirus outbreak and new regulations implemented to combat the virus, refugee admission to this country has effectively been suspended.

Refugee rights advocates criticized Greek police and border guards for firing tear gas at refugees and using water cannons to push refugees away from their borders.

On Sunday, March 22 (Farvardin 3), Greek border guards attacked a group of refugees playing football in an empty field at the country’s border with water cannons and tear gas.

Anadolu Agency formally confirmed for the first time in its report on this incident that Turkish forces responded to this action by Greek border guards and fired tear gas toward them. The Anadolu report stated that Greek border units quickly abandoned their positions after the Turkish forces’ response.

Turkish authorities have now formally announced that if Greek forces use tear gas against women and children at the zero point border between the two countries, they will respond to these forces.

Source: DW