Corona and crisis on the Turkish border: Germany takes in 50 young refugees - and in quarantine

Thousands of refugees are stuck in Lesbos. The corona crisis has stopped admission to EU countries. Green boss Habeck wants to change that.

• Thousands of refugees are still stuck on the Greek-Turkish border
• The corona virus * also threatens to reach the refugee camps
• Voices to evacuate the camps are getting louder

Update of April 7, 6:25 p.m .: Germany wants to take 50 unaccompanied minors from the refugee camps on the Greek islands in the coming week. As the German press agency learned in Berlin on Tuesday, the state government in Hanover has promised that they can spend their two-week corona quarantine in Lower Saxony. Then they should be distributed to several federal states. Germany is reportedly planning to organize a charter flight with Luxembourg , which has agreed to accept 12 children and adolescents at short notice.

Germany plans to take in even more minors from Greece in the near future. The Union and SPD coalition committee decided in March to bring a total of around 1,000 to 1,500 children to Germany as part of the EU partners Greece. According to the coalition decision, these are children who are seriously ill or unaccompanied and are younger than 14 years.

In March, a total of eight EU countries generally agreed to accept unaccompanied refugees and other migrants from Greece who were minors. In addition to Germany, this includes France, Ireland, Portugal, Finland, Luxembourg, Croatia and Lithuania .

Corona and crisis on the Turkish border: Greece is now processing asylum applications again

Update of April 2, 7:00 p.m .: According to the government in Athens , asylum applications are now being processed in Greece again . The suspension of asylum procedures has not been in force since April 1, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said on Thursday in a video conference with the members of the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties. In a highly controversial step, Athens put all asylum procedures on hold in early March due to the temporary opening of the Turkish border to refugees .

Mitarachi again defended the temporary asylum stop . "We had to freeze asylum applications in March because of the exceptional situation at our borders to protect our national security, public order, and public health," he said.

EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson welcomed the resumption of asylum procedures in Greece. The government in Athens has informed her that refugees who arrived in March "now have the right to apply for asylum," she said. "During this time, it is important to defend our values ​​and fundamental rights."

In the Greek Aegean Islands tens of thousands of refugees live in often catastrophic conditions. Around 20,000 people alone live in the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, which is designed for just under 3,000 residents. In view of the Corona crisis, numerous aid organizations have called for the camp to be cleared.

Update of March 31, 7:16 p.m .: In the face of the coronavirus crisis, the EU is providing almost 240 million euros for Syrian refugees and their host countries. The EU Commission said the money should go to people in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. The host countries themselves should also be supported.

"This is a sign of solidarity with the most needy groups in a difficult time, which is exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic," said EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi. The current aid package focuses on areas such as social welfare, health, education and child protection.

Turkey crisis: Corona case in Greek refugee camp intensifies worries

Update of March 31, 3:48 p.m .: A woman from a refugee camp in Greece has tested positive for the novel corona virus after the birth of her child. According to the Ministry of Migration in Athens on Tuesday, the woman lives in a refugee camp on the island of Evia north of Athens. It was tested in a capital city hospital after birth. At first it was unclear whether she was infected in the women's clinic or in the refugee camp.

A virus test on a roommate of the woman was reported to be negative. The Greek health authority therefore began to find the woman's contact persons a few days ago. The ministry said it would take all necessary measures to protect the residents and staff of the refugee camp.

To date, 1212 coronavirus infections have been detected in Greece. 46 people died. There is great concern that the coronavirus could spread to the completely overcrowded refugee camps in Greece .

Corona threatens to worsen the situation in Lesbos: Greens boss Habeck demands evacuation of the camps

First report: Athens - The corona pandemic does not stop at the refugee camps : Thousands of people are stuck on the island of Lesbos *, among others. The corona virus also forces them to exercise caution. Fearing spread, the Greek government already banned visits to all refugee camps in the country in mid-March. Schools are closed and isolation stations have been set up. The facilities are disinfected daily and migrants need police approval to go out.

Migrants to Lesbos

© dpa / Panagiotis Balaskas

Despite the precautionary measures , many fear a disaster if the corona virus breaks out in refugee camps. The situation is already precarious anyway. Recently information from the BND caused a sensation. Erdogan is said to have deliberately caused the riots on the Greek border a few weeks ago. Not least because of the corona pandemic, Oxfam expert Raphael Silhav called on the " coalition of the willing " to act again.

Corona crisis in the refugee camps: EU countries should help

The participating EU countries * had agreed to accept 1,500 minors . But now another crisis intervened. Rescues for refugees have faded into the background due to the corona pandemic. But it is precisely these who now need protection that the leader of the Green Party Robert Habeck demands.

The crowded camps on Lesbos have to be evacuated, he told the “Welt am Sonntag”. "Overcrowding, almost no medical equipment, poor hygiene." Reasons enough for quick help from the EU countries *. “Other Europeans, including Germany *, should help. This includes the already accepted admission of children, ”said Habeck.

Habeck calls for evacuation of refugee camps in Lesbos

But the Greens politician also sees the problems of the current situation. But precisely because of the Corona crisis, one has to learn a lesson from it now and show “more cooperation spirit, determination and solidarity”.

The human rights organization ProAsyl also calls for the immediate evacuation of the refugee camp in Lesbos . Günther Burkhardt , head of the organization, once again criticized the federal government for deporting two women to Iran. Because an airplane was chartered especially for this - and in times of the corona crisis. Such and other aircraft should be used to rescue refugees from the Greek camps, said Burkhardt.

Corona virus: Outbreak in camps would have catastrophic consequences

Under the hashtag #LeaveNoOneBehind , the organization called Seebrücke in social media for a refugee policy in the sense of human rights. On Sunday afternoon, users should go to the pages of EU institutions and German institutions * and request the immediate evacuation of refugee camps on Lesbos.

But not only Greece is under threat. There are also cases of corona-infected people in Syria . The 6.5 million people who seek refuge outside of their home in Syria are particularly at risk. How they can be helped is still unclear.

mak / AFP

* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital network.

List of rubric lists: © AFP / MANOLIS LAGOUTARIS