Migrants who fled the Moria camp blaze one week ago are still living on the streets in grim conditions, with no proper shelter or sanitation, fuelling fears of a future surge in coronavirus cases.
A vessel with 74 migrants and two people smugglers on board has reached the port of Katakolo in western Greece after sending distress signals over the weekend. Two Turkish nationals on board the yacht have been detained.
Earlier in the year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hoped to gain political leverage by threatening to send migrants and refugees into the EU. But numbers published by the European Commission show that his attempts were futile — largely because of the extent of the global pandemic slowing down migration patterns.
About 250 migrants from Tunisia have reached the Italian island of Lampedusa in several small boats in recent days. With no space left to quarantine the new arrivals due the COVID-19 pandemic, politicians across the political spectrum are weighing in on the issue and further polarizing public opinion.
In France, getting an appointment at the prefecture to apply for or renew a residence permit has become a near impossible task. The Defender of Rights has called on the interior ministry to take concrete measures to improve the situation.
Germany carried out a deportation flight to Pakistan leaving from Frankfurt. It is the first of its kind since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The IOM is offering an information service for migrants who may be particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Be that because their jobs have disappeared, they can't pay their rent or they find themselves homeless or ill. The information service is currently available in eight languages with one more coming soon.
InfoMigrants spoke to Shâyân*, an Iranian engineer who lives with his family in a migrant camp near Bihac in Bosnia. Although the rest of Bosnia is no longer under lockdown, the migrant camp remains in quarantine after a doctor at the camp tested positive for the coronavirus.
Restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 in East and Central Africa have left large numbers of migrants stranded. Human rights and refugee groups say the borders should be reopened for asylum seekers.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused Greek authorities of using the coronavirus as a pretext to continue a lockdown on migrant camps. The government in Athens has extended the lockdown until July 5, while lifting restrictions across the country.
One week after a Paris court ordered prefectures in northern Paris to install drinking water facilities, toilets and showers near the swelling migrant camps in the area, aid groups say authorities have only provided the bare minimum and not nearly enough to cover the real needs of the migrants.
This World Refugee Day, anyone interested in the themes of refugees and empowerment will have the chance to take part in a Virtual Refugee Conference. This rare event will include refugees, activists and others from all over the world.