Concerns about the spread of coronavirus in refugee camps

Large numbers of refugees live together in cramped quarters in camps. Aid workers are trying to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in these camps with strict regulations. Doctors have called this impossible.

Refugees in camps in various countries, from Greece to Lebanon, Bangladesh or Kenya, are at high risk of contracting the coronavirus.

In the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, about 20,000 people live in a confined space that stretches along the edge of olive groves. It is the largest migrant and refugee camp in Greece and in Europe. The refugees spend the night in makeshift tents they have set up or under tarpaulin shelters.

The sanitary conditions in this camp are catastrophic. There is heaps of garbage everywhere, the smell of this garbage is unbearable. Each family lives in only a few square meters. The density of tents is so high that sometimes just a spark is enough to start a fire. This week a child died in a fire in this camp.

In Moria, thousands of people share a single sink. Camp residents say they sometimes have to queue for hours to get something to eat.

In many European cities, people are avoiding social contact, using disinfectants everywhere, and washing their hands every half hour. But the residents of refugee camps lack even the most basic sanitation facilities. The conditions in these camps are a breeding ground for disease.

Preventing the spread of the disease is "impossible"

Doctors Without Borders has called it "impossible" to prevent the spread of the disease in the Greek refugee camp.

Fears of the spread of the coronavirus in other refugee camps are also growing. In Greece, only a small fraction of the nearly four million Turkish refugees live in camps. Refugees in Turkey are trying to reach cities.

But the situation on the Turkish-Greek border is worsening. Thousands of refugees have settled along the border since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced two weeks ago that he would open the borders to Europe.

In southern Bangladesh lies Cox's Bazar, one of the world's largest refugee camps. In late summer 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya (a Muslim minority in Myanmar) fled to Bangladesh after being persecuted, killed, and their villages and homes destroyed by the Myanmar military. About 850,000 people currently live in the camp.

So far, there have been only three confirmed cases of coronavirus in Bangladesh, all in the north of the country, far from the camps. But experts say that won't stay that way. Bangladesh is one of the world's most populous countries, and its healthcare system is struggling.

Aid workers are trying to prevent the virus from entering the camps. The World Health Organization (WHO) has distributed infrared thermometers at the airport near Cox’s Bazar camp, and passengers must have their temperatures checked upon arrival. The organization has provided additional protective clothing to hospitals in the area. The camps are regularly warned about the symptoms of COVID-19 and residents are advised to wash their hands properly.

Minimize visits

Similar standards are being applied in other refugee camps. In Kenya, where about 500,000 Somalis and South Sudanese live, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is sending messages to camp residents' mobile phones asking them to report any possible symptoms as soon as possible. Checks have been stepped up at the entrances to the Kukuma and Dadaab camps. Anyone entering the camps must report where they have been in the past few weeks.

“Our staff are only carrying out visits that are absolutely necessary,” said Eugene Bion, a UNHCR spokesman in Kenya. He said aid workers are trying to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the camp, and those on leave have been asked not to return to Kenya for the time being.

Since the camps in Kokome and Dadaab were established in the 1990s, they have better infrastructure than other camps. Many refugees no longer live in tents but in brick rooms. There is a hospital and a water source in the camps. “However, we see the danger,” says Bion. There has been one confirmed case of Covid-19 in Kenya so far.

Refugee malnutrition and the risk of disease

“Malnutrition makes people vulnerable to disease anyway,” says Jason Strazioso, an official with the International Committee of the Red Cross. He adds that this is why fighting COVID-19 is at the top of our agenda.

It is not just the disease that is worrying aid workers: refugees are seen as unwelcome guests in many countries. The spread of the disease could increase hostility towards these people, who are already under pressure. “Fear and discrimination have never solved crises,” said Filippo Grandis, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He called for “empathy with those who are most vulnerable.”

Source: DW