Three migrants hosted at former military barracks in the city of Udine, northeastern Italy, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The regional governor of Friuli Venezia Giulia wants the facility to be declared a 'red zone.'
Three asylum seekers who reached Udine on July 20 and are currently staying at the Cavarzerani military barracks in the northeastern city have tested positive for coronavirus, the municipal administration said in a statement.
After the three migrants tested positive, Massimiliano Fedriga, the governor of
Friuli Venezia Giulia -- the region where Udine is located -- called for the barracks to be declared a
"red zone" and for the migrants to be "contained immediately and with maximum
effectiveness."
League politician: 'Government decided to abandon our land'
Meanwhile, Udine's security councilor, Alessandro Ciani, accused the national government of exposing the local population to the risk of a new surge of coronavirus cases.
"If this government has decided to abandon our land, exposing the
population to the risk of a new surge of coronavirus cases, it should
state it clearly because the people of Friuli and Udine are not stupid
and they will not accept to be treated like citizens who are denied the
constitutional right to health," he said.
Ciani belongs to the far-right, anti-migration League party. On a national level, the League is in the opposition; the national governing coalition consists mostly of center-left parties.
Calls for more border patrols
Ciani also said the local administration wanted to "raise its voice in order to get a response to a letter sent by the mayor in recent days." In a letter to the interior ministry,
Udine Mayor Pietro Fontanini
had asked for "permanent border patrols."
Udine is located the Slovenian border. The city has become a transit
point for many migrants who reach Italy clandestinely via the Balkan
Route.
Recently, several local and regional politicians in the Udine region have called on the interior ministry to do more to halt migration to the region.