New Lesvos camp sees 800 admissions
More than 800 refugees and migrants on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos moved into a new temporary tent camp being set up in the area of Kara Tepe to accommodate thousands left homeless by last week’s destruction of the reception and identification center at Moria.
All admissions into the new camp are being tested for the new coronavirus, with 21 coming back positive between Saturday and late Monday. They have been isolated from the other residents in a special area designed for that purpose and are being monitored.
The makeshift camp started being erected on Friday, after more than 12,000 refugees and migrants were left stranded by a string of fires that razed their tents and container homes at the notoriously overcrowded Moria facility. The fires occurred while the camp was on lockdown due to a coronavirus outbreak.
Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said on Monday that no refugees or migrants will be allowed to leave the island unless they first check in at the new Kara Tepe camp, where they will undergo a test for coronavirus and also have their status confirmed so that the authorities can ascertain whether they are eligible for asylum or will be slated for deportation.
