ATHENS: Greek officials on Sunday announced the first coronavirus death of a migrant living in a camp in Greece.

The victim was a 61-year-old father-of-two from Afghanistan who had been living in the Malakassa camp near Athens, the asylum ministry said.

He died while being treated in a hospital in Athens.

Malakassa along with Schisto and Elaionas camps that are near Athens were placed in quarantine in early September as concerns mounted over the spread of Covid-19 among thousands of asylum-seekers living in squalid conditions in Greece.

Greece’s migrant camps have technically been under lockdown since March, with restrictions on who can leave and enter, prompting criticism from rights groups.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2020