MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2020) Doctors Without Borders urged the Greek government on Thursday to lift "discriminatory" COVID-19 lockdown for migrants in island reception centers, saying that the long restriction of movement has already generated more violence and affected mental health of the facilities' inhabitants.
In March, Greece for the first time put reception centers on its islands on lockdown, thereby forcing over 30,000 of their inhabitants to "remain in these overcrowded and unhygienic" conditions, according to the NGO.
"Despite the fact that there have been zero cases of COVID-19 in any of the reception centres on the Greek islands, and that life has returned to normal for local people and tourists alike, these discriminatory measures for asylum seekers and migrants continue to be extended every two weeks," the MSF said.
The humanitarian organization argued that the measure is "absolutely unjustified from a public health point of view," given the current epidemiological situation in the country.
The lengthy lockdown, it went on, has already led to the deterioration of medical and mental health of migrants who found themselves "trapped" in the facilities.
The NGO warned that "COVID-19 should not be used as a tool to detain migrants and refugees" and called for their evacuation, especially those belonging to high-risk groups, from the reception centers to safe accommodation.
