Some 190 migrants stranded on the Greek island of Kea were quarantined in an abandoned hotel on Thursday, due to suspicion some had contracted coronavirus.
According to the island's mayor Eirini Velissaropoulou, the decision to quarantine them came from Migration and Asylum Minister, Notis Mitarakis, who stated that the ministry would bear the costs.
On Monday, the cargo ship carrying the migrants from Turkey, ran aground in rough weather outside the port of Kea.
Among the migrants, one person with a fever was evacuated to Athens to be tested for the virus.
Three pregnant women and a migrant with a leg injury were also taken to Athens, while three suspected smugglers were arrested, Deputy Mayor Eleftherios Tzouvaras stated.
The rest of the migrants, including 38 minors, will be in quarantine for 14 days in an unused hotel in Coressia, the island's main port, which Tzouvaras said was “not appropriate for refugees."
On Wednesday, the government announced new restrictions to the movement of migrants living in overcrowded camps on its islands, in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.