Two centers for asylum seekers in Mainz and Regensburg have reported scores of new COVID-19 cases -- even though the number of new infections in Germany overall has decreased. Researchers warn that the virus can spread rapidly in asylum centers.
At least 70 people at a refugee home near Bonn have tested positive for COVID-19. News of the outbreak prompted calls for better protection for asylum-seekers and more testing at the often crowded facilities.
Refugee rights organizations in Germany say people in asylum seeker accommodation centers are in grave danger from coronavirus and have called for them to be shut down. Migrants who were quarantined in one center are being made to wear wristbands in public.
A pregnant woman appealed to be released from the shelter, saying it was impossible to socially distance in the crowded facility. The court in Münster agreed — criticizing the double standard in rules at refugee homes.
COVID-19 is spreading in Germany's refugee homes and lockdown measures are causing havoc among people who are already traumatized. The authorities are still looking for ways to resolve the crisis.
Migrants should be housed in reception centers even if they no longer meet the requirements for housing, the Italian interior ministry said in a circular sent to prefects amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In the Netherlands, migrant children are finding ways to cope with "the new normal" under virus containment measures. Together with a local non-profit group they have come up with some creative solutions.
To combat the coronavirus pandemic, many European countries have gone into lockdown. People can no longer move around freely, and many administrative services have been significantly reduced. How is this affecting asylum seekers in Italy, Germany and other countries across Europe? InfoMigrants asked its Facebook users.
Several migrants living in asylum shelters in Germany have tested positive for coronavirus. Strict social distancing measures to combat the virus outbreak are hard to adopt in centers where people live together in tight spaces.
Due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, UN refugee agency UNHCR has closed two of its facilities in the Libyan capital Tripoli until Tuesday, March 24. Hotlines for asylum seekers and refugees are still available, says UNHCR.
Several Greek islands, including Lesbos, have launched a labor stoppage following "extremely aggressive" clashes between police and anti-refugee protesters. Locals continue to call for an end to migrant camps.
Italian authorities have taken over a migrant hosting center in Naples because of overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions.