Alarm in Turkey over lack of protection in refugee centres

Several NGOs and legal associations in Turkey have warned of the lack of protection measures against the coronavirus in refugee camps, where several cases of COVID-19 have been detected. In a statement, the NGO Mülteci-Der warned of the fragility of migrants who remained outdoors for days on the Turkish-Greek border recently, after Ankara announced that it was opening the borders to the European Union (EU), and before it closed them again following the outbreak of the pandemic in Turkey. "These people, whose physical resistance has been diminished by these conditions, constitute a fragile group facing the epidemic in an environment with very limited medical care," the association warns. "Migrants in camps face similar risks. Groups of refugees share rooms and the virus can easily spread," it adds.

On the other hand, the Migration and Refugees Commission of the Izmir Bar Association states in a report that at least 30 refugees and one security guard have tested positive for coronavirus in a foreigners' centre in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey. The document details that two weeks ago refugees who had previously camped next to the border fence between Greece and Turkey were admitted. "The migrants were not quarantined separately, but were housed with the former residents," the organisation said, and deplored the lack of hygienic conditions in these centres.

The Izmir provincial government has denied accusations of a lack of measures to prevent the spread of the virus, although it admits that there have been positive cases in the centre, without giving further details. "Foreigners and staff were tested after detecting a positive case in a foreigner who was admitted to hospital on 15 April," the governorate said in a statement.

Turkey has 24 detention centres for foreigners with a total capacity of 16,000 people. Several human rights NGOs have also called for measures to protect the four million refugees in the country. Of the nearly three million Syrians of working age living in Turkey, only about 80,000 have work permits. The closure of cafes, bars, restaurants and other businesses as a measure to prevent the spread of the virus may economically affect thousands of refugee families working without work contracts.

Currently, with 98,674 confirmed cases of coronavirus, Turkey has the seventh largest number of infected people in the world. Of these, 2,376 have died.