Coronavirus: NGOs are stopping their rescue missions on the sea
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“The pandemic is forcing us to freeze our activities. This is a necessary decision, despite the fact that the embarkments have started again,” said a spokesperson from Mediterranea. Ocean Viking, Sea Watch and Open Arms have all been blocked at ports too.
The migrant embarkments from the African shores have resumed, but the Mediterranean Sea will remain void of assistance for an undetermined period of time. The coronavirus has stalled the vessels offering humanitarian aid, as the NGOs slowly and unwillingly start suspending their missions.
“This is a very difficult but inevitable decision,” declares Mediterranea. In the last weeks this NGO has received back its two vessels, Mare Jonio and Alex, which had been sequestered for months because of security orders. “We were ready to sail again with our usual resolve and determination: both the vessels and the team were well prepared. But due to the development of this pandemic, and the various measures undertaken to try and contain the spread of the virus and to safeguard the most vulnerable and exposed members of the population, we have been obliged to freeze all our activities on sea.” Mediterranea pledges to help the civil ships which continue to operate in the Mediterranean, vowing to support them in any way possible.
Sea Watch, SOS Mediterranée and Medici Senza Frontier all have ships that will remain in harbour following their period of quarantine after having disembarked their latest passengers at Pozzallo and Messina, while the Spanish Open Arms is undergoing necessary repairs. “We are trying to understand how best to return to the seas, without endangering our people. Unfortunately, despite the spread of the Coronavirus, our assistance at sea is still needed,” said spokesperson Veronica Alfonsi.
The departures from Africa have not stopped, and during the past days the switchboard at Alarm has already started indicating various ships in distress in the SAR zone between Libya and Malta. Worrying are also the independent arrivals at Lampedusa, where 150 persons arrived during the past week. The mayor, Salvatore Martello, immediately requested that these latest arrivals are put directly in quarantine, but he has also requested an appropriate protocol from the Minister for Internal Affairs, requesting their immediate transfer to the mainland, to safeguard the population. Currently in Africa hundreds of cases of coronavirus have been reported in the country of origin of these migrants, and even Libya has declared a state of emergency following the outbreak of the epidemic.
Currently, Medici Senza Frontiere is one of the NGOs whose volunteers are working as part of medical teams in the areas which have been worst hit by CoVid-19. In fact their president, Claudia Lodesani, is currently working in the area of Codogno. Even Mediterranea have team members who are working with the emergency teams in Italy.
