Coronavirus concerns for refugees

The Refugee Action Collective is calling for the release of all refugees because of Covid-19 concerns, Refugee Action Collective spokesperson Chris Breen said in a video last week.

Refugees are “terrified” of the spread of Covid-19 and believe they won’t get the protection and care necessary from the government, Mr Breen said.

The Doctors for Refugees co-founder, Barri Phataford, said detainees needed to be released from detention centres to stop the infection transmission.

Keeping detainees “locked up in close confinement” during government stay-at-home restrictions was “cruel, callous and highly discriminatory”, Dr Phataford said.

It may be “exacerbating a public health crisis” by having detainees within detention centres in close proximity, she said.

But the Department of Home Affairs said there were established health plans if there is an outbreak in a detention centre.

“A range of measures have been introduced, and are being continually reviewed, to keep detainees and staff informed of preventative measures and personal hygiene standards,” a Home Affairs spokesperson said.

Detainees would be “quarantined and tested in line with advice from health officials” if they displayed Covid-19 symptoms, they said.

Australasian Society for Infection Diseases president Joshua Davis said there are almost no infection controls within detention centres and necessities were running short.

“People are still being detained in shared and bunk rooms, with up to four people in a room in some detention centres,” Dr Davis said.

1,400 asylum seekers are being held in detention centres which leaves no room for social distancing or self-isolation and staff are at risk, he said.

Toilet paper, soap and hand sanitiser are running short with people having to queue close together for meals and other services.

“You can’t wash your hands if you don’t have soap and you can’t keep your distance from other people when you are locked up in crowded conditions,” he said.