Greece reports first coronavirus case in Moria camp on Lesbos

Greece recorded its first coronavirus case in the overcrowded migrant camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos, two migration ministry officials said on Wednesday. Since March 1, all migrants who reach Lesbos have been quarantined away from the island’s camps. Greece has recorded 10,524 COVID-19 cases since the first infection in February, and 271 COVID-related deaths.

Greece recorded its first coronavirus case in the overcrowded migrant camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos, two migration ministry officials said on Wednesday. A 40-year old asylum seeker has tested positive for the virus and had been put in isolation, one of the officials told Reuters. Authorities were trying to trace the people he had contacted, the official said.

The Moria facility, which hosts about 13,000 people, has been frequently criticised by aid groups for poor living conditions. Since March 1, all migrants who reach Lesbos have been quarantined away from the island's camps.

Greece has recorded 10,524 COVID-19 cases since the first infection in February, and 271 COVID-related deaths. In recent weeks it has seen a surge in cases, which has forced Greek authorities to gradually reimpose restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

Lesbos lies just off the Turkish coast, and hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees have used the island as a staging post in recent years in their attempt to get to mainland Europe.