Italy: Concern about Potential Outbreak of Corona Virus Among Migrants

The outbreak of the Corona virus in Italy, has raised fears that migrants living in the country may be exposed to the virus, especially those who live in camps in southern Italy, where poor living conditions, lack of water, disinfectants and overcrowding in these random housing can lead to the rapid spread of the virus .

Italian authorities and NGOs have expressed concern this week about foreigners residing in camps and isolated housing in the south of the country, where a lack of running water, disinfectants and overcrowding in these housing can lead to the rapid spread of the virus.

The mayor of “Pozzall” in Sicily, Roberto Amatuna, said that the facility will be completely empty by the end of the week, after being used for 14 days as a quarantine for 276 people rescued at the end of February, near Libya by the ship “Viking”, as reported by migrantnews.

However, the most difficult conditions have been recorded in the southern regions of Calabria and Apulia, in particular in the fields of the Gioia Tower and in Taurianova and San Fernandino camp, where the camps are mainly shelters for agricultural workers between the ages of 20 and 40 Years old, working in nearby areas.

In the Fujiya region, about 2.400 foreigners live in Borgo Matsanotti and other crowded popular neighborhoods across the province, with four migrants sharing a sleeping space of just a few meters, and about 60% of them have regular permits.

The Astali Center for Jesuits in Rome, which hosts refugees in the Italian capital, limited its services due to the spread of Corona virus, where the center stopped providing lunches in its restaurant near the Piazza Venezia square in the city center, and now it offers a lunch box that includes canned food, bread and fruit.

The Center attributed this decision to the fact that it does not have enough space to guarantee the safety of people and allow for a sufficient distance between them, which is required by the government decree to contain the spread of the virus.

 

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