The Austrian government pledged last week that it would send 181 containers to Greece to accommodate migrants living at overcrowded reception centers and to serve as mobile healthcare facilities.
Wednesday’s decision followed a video conference between Greek Alternate Migration and Asylum Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos and Austria’s Interior Minister Karl Nehammer, Greek newspaper Kathimerini reports.
Following the video conference, the Greek Migration said in a statement: “The cooperation of the two governments aims at the timely preparation for dealing with possible consequences from the combination of the migration crisis and the pandemic.”
During a parliament session on Wednesday, Immigration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis announced that the contingency plans to cope with a more COVID-19 virus outbreaks at its migrant camps had been put in place by the government.
According to Mitarakis, there are a total of 28 COVID-19 cases across Greece’s 38 migrant centers where approximately 70,000 migrants currently live. The camps with outbreaks have been placed under quarantine. So far, there have been no deaths.