200 Iranian and Afghan asylum seekers quarantined in Greece

Greece has said that around 200 asylum seekers are being quarantined on the tourist island of Chia in the Aegean Sea. Greek authorities say they will soon be transferred to a camp near the capital, Athens.

The deputy mayor of the Greek island of Chia told AFP that one of the refugees had a fever and was being transferred to Athens for coronavirus testing, along with three pregnant women and an injured refugee, while the others were quarantined in a hotel.

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

According to the deputy mayor of Kia Island, the refugees have not had any contact with local residents and necessary safety measures are to be taken during their transfer.

Refugees living in various refugee camps in Greece are concerned about attacks from local residents and right-wing Greek groups.

Aid workers said that since it was revealed that a resident of the Greek island of Lesbos had contracted the coronavirus, concerns about the spread of the disease among refugees have increased, as there are fears that the discussion of the spread of the disease among refugees will take a dangerous turn and that the refugees will be blamed for this.

In connection with the stranded ship, Greek authorities have arrested three people on suspicion of involvement in the smuggling of these refugees.

Around 200 migrants were rescued by the Greek coast guard in the Aegean Sea on Monday, March 16. The migrants were aboard a cargo ship that ran aground near the port of the island of Kios due to strong winds. Most of the migrants are from Afghanistan, Iran and Somalia.

A Red Cross official said that the quarantine will last for two weeks, but the hotel where the refugees are staying does not have the necessary facilities.

Türkiye responds to Greek border guard attack

The bitter fate of refugees on the Greek-Turkish border has been forgotten with the spread of the coronavirus in Europe.

Germany was supposed to accept about 1,500 children and adolescents who are stranded in camps and on the Turkish-Greek border, but due to the coronavirus outbreak and new regulations imposed to combat the coronavirus, the country has effectively stopped accepting refugees.

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

On Sunday, March 22, Greek border guards attacked a group of refugees playing soccer on an empty field on the country's border with water cannons and tear gas.

In a report on the incident, the Anatolia news agency officially confirmed for the first time that Turkish forces retaliated by firing tear gas at the Greek border guards. The Anatolia report states that the Greek border units quickly left their positions after the Turkish forces responded.

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

Source: DW