Another boatload of illegal migrants, a group of 79, was given permission to dock at Porto Empedocle on the island of Lampedusa on Friday despite continuing lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).
The migrants had been rescued in the Mediterranean by a cargo vessel last Sunday and were then brought to the island.
This was done despite the fact that Porto Empedocle’s Mayor, Ida Carmina, had specifically ordered the port closed to illegal migrants last month. Italy’s national government likewise ordered all ports closed to migrants in April.
Carmina said that an exception had been made because of the dangerous circumstances the migrants were in. He said that the migrants will be kept aboard the ship and given medical attention, and then they will be sent elsewhere.
They will not be allowed to leave the pier in an effort to prevent virus infections.