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Malta: Some 65 migrants tested positive for COVID-19

85 migrants tested among 94 arrivals, 65 of them diagnosed with COVID-19, local media reports

Busra Nur Bilgic Cakmak  | 29.07.2020 - Update : 29.07.2020
Malta: Some 65 migrants tested positive for COVID-19

ANKARA

Some 65 migrants who arrived to Malta tested positive for COVID-19, local media reported late Tuesday.

According to daily Malta Times, a group of 94 migrants were brought to Malta by the navy on Monday, 85 of them were tested for the virus so far, with 65 of them diagnosed with the disease.

"As per usual procedure, migrants arriving by boat are immediately quarantined for 14 days and tested. The migrants who are positive will continue to be isolated at the Hal Far Initial Reception Centre and the rest will remain in quarantine and followed up," said the Health Ministry, quoted by the daily.

Migrants and refugees are at high risk of contracting the virus due to their overcrowded living conditions and difficulty to access public health care, according to the World Health Organization.

According to US-based Johns Hopkins University, some 708 people contracted COVID-19 in the Mediterranean island, while nine people lost their lives to the disease.

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