Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Sunday promised the country will build a new permanent migrant reception center on Lesvos. Last week, the overcrowded Moria migrant camp on the island burned down.
The fires in Moria left nearly 13,000 migrants without shelter. In the chaotic camp there was already talk of what aid organizations have called ‘inhuman’ conditions.
Construction of a permanent version of the Moria camp was delayed earlier this year due to fierce opposition and demonstrations from Greek islanders, who do not want a permanent camp on Lesvos. Migrants have also spoken out against a new center; they want to get away from the island as soon as possible.
But the prime minister dismisses these objections: “I want to say with absolute conviction that there will be a permanent reception and identification center. I want to send that message to everyone”.
With the construction of the new camp, the government wants to not only build a better alternative to the camp, but also develop a better policy for the treatment of incoming migrants. Prime Minister Mitsotakis is calling on the rest of the European Union to be more involved in construction.
Fear of spreading coronavirus among migrants
Many migrants are currently being received in a temporary tent camp near Mytilini, the capital of Lesvos. It is expected that about a thousand people can be received here from Sunday and more after that.
Dozens of people in this temporary camp turn out to be infected with the corona virus. Before Moria burned down, the camp had been quarantined because at least 35 people in the camp tested positive for the virus.
Greek authorities have been unable to find some of these infected people since the fire. Because the migrants are close to each other and no longer have any facilities, authorities fear that the virus will spread considerably.
Aid organizations want Moria evacuation
Aid organizations have been calling for the evacuation of Moria and the distribution of migrants and refugees among EU member states for years. That division has stalled since the Turkey deal stalled.
Under that deal, EU member states would take in one Syrian refugee for every migrant that Turkey takes in. Turkey halted the deal due to a lack of support from Europe for Turkish interests in Syria.
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