Woman in Greece first refugee to test positive for coronavirus

Athens, Greece – A woman who recently gave birth in Greece has become the first refugee to have contracted the coronavirus in the country, but it has not yet been confirmed where she picked up the infection – in her camp, the hospital or elsewhere.

The woman, who has not been identified, delivered last week in a hospital in mainland Greece near where she had been living at Ritsona refugee camp, which has a population of about 2,270 and a maximum capacity for 2,674, according to figures from International Organization for Migration (IOM).

She remains in the hospital.

More: 

• Growing calls to evacuate Greek refugee camps amid virus threat

• Time is running out to protect refugees from a coronavirus crisis

• Refugees in Greece at severe risk due to dire living conditions

Health officials are currently investigating the source of the infection, as it is possible the woman contracted the virus while in hospital, while other authorities try to determine if there are further cases in the camp.

IOM, one of the official actors in Ritsona, confirmed that one of its residents had tested positive, saying it was attempting to protect the site from a potential outbreak.

“IOM has distributed to all residents cleansers and soaps, while working spaces and common areas are being disinfected once a week,” an IOM statement read.

“IOM continues to raise awareness on the measures to mitigate the risks of infection translating also and disseminating guidelines issued by the Greek authorities. Information is a key towards safety.”

An IOM spokesperson told Al Jazeera that other members of the community the woman lived with were being tested to establish where she picked up the virus.

The case comes amid growing calls from NGOs, doctors and academics for the European Union to evacuate refugee camps amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands in Greece live in packed and squalid camps, and are therefore at high risk.

Kayvan Bozorgmehr, a doctor and professor from the School of Public Health at Bielefeld University in Germany, told Al Jazeera that the conditions in Greek refugee camps were potential hotspots for the virus to spread.

“Refugees in camps are at high risk of acquiring infectious diseases due to crowded conditions with poor hygiene and sanitation,” said Bozorgmehr, who is among the academics calling for the evacuation of Moria, Greece’s notoriously overcrowded camp on Lesbos island.

“It is very likely that refugees will become infected with the … virus in host communities or in hospitals. An uncontrolled spread in camp contexts, such as those on the Greek islands, may lead to a public health disaster as measures of social distancing and quarantine are impossible in these settings.” 

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on Lesbos island three weeks ago, affecting a Greek national.

There are no confirmed cases in Moria, which hosts nearly 20,000 people in a space designed for just below 3,000.

Parwana Amiri, a 16-year-old from Afghanistan living in Ritsona, has been raising awareness among the camp residents in anticipation of an outbreak.

“Refugees have to know how to protect themselves against the virus,” she told Al Jazeera, adding that everyone she knew was worried.

“As young people, we have the most important role in the family.”

Amiri encourages others her age to talk to their family members about the best way to wash hands to prevent transmission.

“This virus does not have any borders and treats all equally,” she said. “While you stay at home, we have to stay in the camp where there is no guarantee of health safety.”

In response to calls to decongest the islands, Greece’s Migration Ministry has offered a series of what they say are preventive measures.

These include effective lockdowns of the island camps and in Moria, only 100 people per hour are permitted to leave. Any remaining NGOs have to submit a list of staff who will be working in the camp.

Mainland camps such as Ritsona have been subjected to lockdown measures in line with the rest of the country’s population.

Everyone in Greece must now provide a form detailing one of six reasons to be outside and carry ID.

Several refugees told Al Jazeera that police around Ritsona have been checking the roads and handing out fines to people who appeared to be walking towards the nearest town without their ID and proper form.

Conditions in mainland camps such as Ritsona are better than those on the islands, as most remain at or under capacity.

But the ability to engage in practices such as social distancing remains challenging due to the confined nature of all camps in the country.

As of Tuesday evening, Greece had about 1,300 confirmed cases of the virus and a total of 49 deaths.