The Hal Far Open Migrant Centre was placed under quarantine on 5 April, after eight migrants contracted the virus. The facility currently houses approximately 1,000 persons in over-crowded conditions. According to media reports, those who tested positive were isolated and vulnerable persons will be transferred out of the centre to be cared for “in a more controlled environment.” With assistance from the Red Cross, the number of medical personnel at the facility will also be increased. The country’s Nationalist Party criticised the government for acting too slowly, “The nationalist party warned about the danger of the virus spreading at the open centre and in prison days ago. The government hoped for the best but failed to prepare for the worst, and now the worst is happening.”
- European Commission, “Hal Far Migrant Open Centre Placed Under Quarantine,” 5 April 2020, https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/news/hal-far-migrant-open-centre-in-malta-placed-under-quarantine
- K. Sansone, “Hal Far Migrant Open Centre Placed Under Quarantine,” Malta Today, 5 April 2020, https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/101485/watch_coronavirus_hal_far_migrant_open_centre_placed_under_quarantine#.XplZ3tNKiu7
