Widespread Coronavirus Outbreak in a Refugee Camp Near Bonn, Germany
The coronavirus has reached another refugee camp in Germany. Approximately 70 refugees in the St. Augustine camp have contracted the disease. This comes as test results for other refugees residing in the camp have not yet been released.
Once again, German authorities are witnessing the spread of coronavirus in one of the refugee camps. This time, the scope of the outbreak has been reported as very extensive.
Information released by officials at the St. Augustine refugee processing center, located near the city of Bonn, indicates that a large number of refugees have contracted coronavirus. Officials have stated that they are awaiting the results of coronavirus tests for other residents of the camp.
The center responsible for overseeing the condition of refugees in this camp has announced that a total of 300 refugees have been tested for coronavirus so far. Of these, the coronavirus test results of 70 refugees have been reported as positive.
Symptoms of coronavirus among those infected in this refugee camp have been reported as mild to moderately mild. It remains unclear whether coronavirus infection in this refugee camp is limited only to refugees or has also spread to staff and security personnel stationed in the camp.
After the outbreak of the disease, camp officials took steps to separate healthy refugees from infected ones. It is reported that 60 refugees who tested negative for coronavirus have been transferred to another camp.
St. Augustine Refugee Camp
St. Augustine refugee camp has a capacity of 600 people. At the time of the coronavirus outbreak in this camp, approximately 500 refugees were residing there.
St. Augustine refugee camp is one of the main distribution centers for refugees in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany. Refugees typically stay in this camp for one week before being distributed among cities and regions of the state.
Most refugees residing in this camp are young people, but families seeking asylum were also present among the camp’s residents during the coronavirus outbreak.
Green Party Criticism
Horst Becker, one of the Green Party representatives in North Rhine-Westphalia, stated in a conversation with the newspaper “Kölner Stadtanzeiger” that the party has repeatedly requested that German officials conduct coronavirus testing in refugee accommodations.
According to Horst Becker, the widespread coronavirus outbreak in St. Augustine refugee camp suggests that officials “acted too late” in conducting these tests.
This is not the first time coronavirus has spread in one of the refugee camps. In North Rhine-Westphalia state, two other cases of coronavirus outbreaks in refugee camps have been reported.
Cases of coronavirus infection among refugees have also been observed in the cities of Euskirchen and Mettmann. In Euskirchen refugee camp, 50 refugees contracted coronavirus. In the city of Mettmann, located near the German city of Düsseldorf, coronavirus tests came back positive for 30 refugees.
In German states, officials have taken preventive measures to prevent coronavirus infection in dormitories and refugee accommodations.
These include conducting tests, quarantining infected individuals, and implementing measures to ensure compliance with hygiene standards. In some places, refugee dormitories and accommodations have even been temporarily closed in connection with the risk of coronavirus spread.
Furthermore, collective education of children in refugee camps has been halted. In efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus, officials have prepared films and guidebooks in various languages and made this information available to refugees from different nations.
Source: DW
