COVID-19: Evacuation of squalid Greek camps more urgent than ever
"In some parts of Moria camp there is just one water tap for every 1,300 people and no soap available"
Greece
The overcrowded and horrific living conditions in the hotspots on the Greek islands provide the perfect storm for a COVID-19 outbreak, warns Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Given the lack of adequate sanitation services and the severely limited medical care, the risk of the virus spreading amongst the inhabitants of the camps is extremely high once they have been exposed. And as the first case has been confirmed on Lesbos, a Greek citizen, the evacuation of the camps has become more urgent than ever.
“In some parts of Moria camp there is just one water tap for every 1,300 people and no soap available. Families of five or six have to sleep in spaces of no more than 3m2. This means that recommended measures such as frequent hand washing and social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus are just impossible”, explains Dr Hilde Vochten, MSF’s Medical Coordinator in Greece
All over the world governments are cancelling events and prohibiting large gatherings, but on the Greek island camps people have no option but to live in close proximity. Their health is in danger. COVID-19 may be just the latest threat that people face here, but the conditions they live in make them more vulnerable than the rest of the population.
“We are in contact with the National Public Health Organization in order to coordinate actions, including health information and case management for local residents and asylum seekers alike”, added Dr Vochten. “But we need to be realistic: it would be impossible to contain an outbreak in such camp settings in Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos. To this day we have not seen a credible emergency plan to protect and treat people living there in case of an outbreak”
What is expected from health authorities is a plan that includes measures for infection prevention and control (IPC), health promotion, rapid identification of cases, isolation and management of mild cases as well as the treatment of severe and critical cases.
With none of these in place, the evacuation of the camps on the Greek islands is now more urgent than ever. Forcing people to live there as part of Europe’s containment policy was always irresponsible, but it is on the verge of becoming criminal if no action is taken to protect people.
There are 42,000 asylum seekers trapped on the five hotspots on the Greek islands. Whilst the idea of calling for their evacuation during a time of pandemic may seem frightening, forcing people to live in overcrowded camps, unprotected, is on the verge of becoming criminal. The Greek government and EU Member States should act as soon as possible and transfer most of the asylum seekers to appropriate accommodation before it’s too late.
Yasmine from Congo came to Samos with her daughter but they have found themselves stuck there for months. They sleep in a small tent in the bushland next to the official camp. “My daughter cannot sleep due to skin rash. She cries every night and I cry as well…this is the pain of a mother.” Yasmine tells.
In Vathy camp conditions have deteriorated drastically in recent months due to severe overcrowding, prompting MSF to send a medical team back to the island. The camp currently hosts more than 5000 people in a space meant for just 648, meaning that thousands of people languish unprotected in the filthy and unsafe area outside the official camp. Abdul and his family has to share a toilet with another 80-100 families. The access to healthcare is also a big issue for him. Last time his daughter was sick he was trying to get appointment with the doctor in the camp but the queue is so long that people often sleep the night before in front of doctor’s door. Photographer: Anna Pantelia/MSF
A general view of the olive grove next to the official camp of Moria.
At the moment, 13,000 people stranded in a camp designed to host just 3,000. People in the olive grove have to share their tents with other people with whom, they don’t have any previous relationship. The level of hygiene is very low and people have to share a toilet with another 90 people and a shower with 200. When it rains the tents are getting wet and the area turns into a muddy swamp.
MSF team in the pediatric clinic in Moria see an average of 100 children and pregnant women per day. Currently with the recent increase of arrivals our team is struggling to respond to the need that arising. Most of the children our teams see are suffering from diseases which are directly connected with the living conditions such, respiratory tract infections, skin diseases, fever and diarrhea. We also receive children with chronic and complex medical cases who need specialized attention that is not available. Yet, they have to spend months living in unhygienic and unsafe conditions before they are moved to mainland in order to get the much-needed treatment. Photographer: Anna Pantelia/MSF