Bosnia: COVID-19 infections rising in migrant camps
Migrants and refugees in Bosnian camps are becoming infected with COVID-19 at an increasing rate. Humanitarian workers say most cases are mild and the situation is "under control."
Migrants and refugees in Bosnian camps are becoming infected with COVID-19 at an increasing rate. Humanitarian workers say most cases are mild and the situation is "under control."
Migrants who arrive in Italy irreguarly have to spend a mandatory quarantine on board ships in the open sea. The Italian organization ASGI calls these methods "discriminatory" and highly questionable from a health point of view. An interview.
Human Rights Watch has accused the Lebanese government of leaving refugees and migrants behind in its COVID-19 vaccination strategy. The group says the vaccination program has been "tainted by political interference and a lack of information."
Germany deported more than 750 people to Africa in 2020. Most African countries are ill-prepared to welcome rejected asylum seekers, and the coronavirus could make matters worse, activists say.
In northwestern Bosnia, dozens of migrants and refugees at two reception centers have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to local authorities. Meanwhile, Catholic charity Caritas denounced an alleged outbreak at the Lipa migrant camp.
According to a new ECRE report, Serbia rejected applications from nearly three in four asylum seekers last year. A major reason were anti-coronavirus measures, the author of the report said.
The Italian Civil Protection Service has build a "COVID camp" in Borgo Mezzanone, Puglia, equipped with housing units to allow for the treatment of COVID-infected migrants who live in the area.
IOM UK recently set up an online conference to showcase migrant women's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference came a week after International Women's Day, and featured five women who had migrated to the UK from various parts of the world.
Germans are debating whether migrants and people with an immigrant background may be more at risk of contracting coronavirus. There are no reliable figures, but one thing is certain: poor people are in greater danger.
Some migrants held in administrative detention centers (CRA) in France have been sent to prison for refusing to take PCR tests. Lawyers have called the practice "illegal" and denounced it as a violation of "fundamental rights".
As EU member states roll out coronavirus vaccines, refugees and undocumented migrants will have to be inoculated if the spread of the virus is to be stopped. But not all nations plan to include them in their campaigns.
In France and the UK, many migrants are refusing to get tested for COVID-19. Non-profit organizations worry that migrants' distrust of public authorities will interfere with their willingness to get vaccinated.