What is going on?
A lockdown has today been imposed at the Leros Hotspot following the discovery of the first Covid-19 case in the camp. The restrictions announced today will remain in force for at least two weeks. Refugees found walking outside hotspot will face heavy fines and may be prosecuted.
The Leros hotspot is located in a military zone on the east coast of the island. According to the UNHCR census of today, there are 1,218 asylum seekers on Leros of whom 1,114 are living in the hotspot. In addition, we estimate that another 290 refugees are squatting outside the camp, including women and children.
What are the risks?
Sanitary conditions in the camp are terrible posing a health risk even without COVID-19. Most refugees don’t have masks and the authorities are not prepared to supply more protective equipment.
News of the first COVID case will inevitably stoke tensions and could possibly spark riots as happened recently at the Moria migrants camp on Lesbos. The local community on Leros is naturally concerned about the risk of the pandemic spreading. We must act now.
What we are going to do?
- Providing COVID-19 personal protection equipment to all refugees locked down at hotspot.
To reduce the risk of Corona spreading, we need to provide each person with 2 disposable masks per day. This means that even if the emergency only lasts for 14 days, we will need a total of 39,120 masks. Each mask costs 0.39€. At present we have stocks of 1,450 masks, not enough to cover the distribution programme for a single day.
- Providing refugees with non-food items (sanitary pads, nappies)
Under lockdown residents will be unable to go out and shop for personal hygiene items, including nappies, sanitary pads and disposable wipes. At present we have sufficient stocks to cover the first few days of the emergency. We need to be particularly attentive to the needs of new-borns requiring a constant supply of bottles and powdered milk.
Our goal is to bridge the gap between what the authorities are prepared to supply and the real needs of refugees in and around the hotspot. It is ECHO100PLUS’s mission and mandate to support Greece in such an emergency.
