A total of 243 migrants at the Kara Tepe camp on the island of Lesbos have tested positive for the coronavirus disease, Stelios Petsas, spokesman for the Greek government, said at a media briefing on Monday
ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2020) A total of 243 migrants at the Kara Tepe camp on the island of Lesbos have tested positive for the coronavirus disease, Stelios Petsas, spokesman for the Greek government, said at a media briefing on Monday.
Thousands of migrants have been moved to the Kara Tepe facility over recent days following a series of massive blazes at the Moria camp, also on the island of Lesbos. The Moria camp previously housed an estimated 11,000 migrants and refugees before it was destroyed by fire.
"All the refugees and migrants who are currently at the Kara Tepe temporary facility have been tested. In total, 7,046 tests were carried out and 243 cases were detected. These will be included in the data that will be announced later today by the public health authorities. The average age of the infected is 24 years, and most are asymptomatic," Petsas remarked.
Petsas also made reference to the surge in new cases that has been observed in Greece since the start of September.
"It is obvious that the second wave of the pandemic is taking hold worldwide. Our country is still in a much better epidemiological situation than many others. However, the number of cases has recently increased significantly," the spokesman commented, adding that the government was particularly concerned about the spread of the disease in the Attica region, which encompasses the capital, Athens.
On Friday, the Greek government announced a wave of tougher social distancing measures in the Attica region, including a temporary ban on concerts and cultural events, and a cap of nine people for personal and private gatherings.
The Greek National Public Health Organization said on Sunday that 170 new cases of the coronavirus disease were reported in the country over the preceding 24 hours. Since the start of the pandemic, 15,142 positive tests have been confirmed and 338 people have died due to complications related to the disease.
