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Related: Lockdown Learning, discuss home schooling during lockdown.
Covid
Refugee camps
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 00:07
What will happen to the people in refugee camps in Europe? This virus will spread throughout the camps there, surely? Will they isolate within the camps?
OhYouBadBadKitten · 14/03/2020 00:12
It's going to be a further level of hell for them.
EasterEggz · 14/03/2020 00:30
Awful. The most vulnerable aren't even really being discussed eg rough sleepers in this country.
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 00:30
Its is going to be horrendous. I hope they are not abandoned.
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 00:31
yes, rough sleepers too. I wonder if they could put up something makeshift for them?
buttermilkwaffles · 14/03/2020 00:56
There aren't many refugee camps in Europe, Moria on Lesvos is one but proper tented refugee camps with large numbers are almost all in Syria, Turkey, Lebanon etc.
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 01:12
@buttermilkwaffles
they will still be affected though, won't they? I get your point though.
StarbucksSmarterSister · 14/03/2020 01:20
Refugee camps are hideous as it is. There are two on Lesvos and one on Samos which have less than adequate facilities, to put it politely. Moria was built for 3000 and there's 19000 people there now because they can't move on. Basic sanitation at best. MSF staff are appalled at the everyday conditions as it is.
It will be horrific if the virus takes a hold in these places.
Homeless in this country probably won't fare much better.
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 01:26
I've just looked them up on a map. They are so close to Turkey how come they are Greek? What happened there, anyone know?
ChardonnaysPetDragon · 14/03/2020 01:38
I've just looked them up on a map. They are so close to Turkey how come they are Greek? What happened there, anyone know?
Nothing happened,they’ve always been Greek.
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 01:46
Never conquered under the Ottoman Empire?
ChardonnaysPetDragon · 14/03/2020 01:55
Well they’ve sort out f been Greek, but only officially joined Greece late.
The ottomans weren’t too bothered, they had bigger fish to fry, but of course now that’s different and there are all sort of disputes.
There is no love lost between the two countries.
StarbucksSmarterSister · 14/03/2020 12:06
All of Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the country became independent after 1821 war of independence, some islands took longer. Lesvos became Greek just before WWI but was culturally Greek ie language and so forth.
There were also many "ethnic Greeks" in Turkey and vice versa until the early 1920s when after the Greco Turkish war, these populations were swapped. Aristotle Onassis was actually born in Turkey.
StarbucksSmarterSister · 14/03/2020 12:12
Oh and Kemal Ataturk, reforming post Ottoman President, was actually born in Greece to a Turkish Muslim family. He moved to Turkey when he went to military school. The countries were very intertwined.
Rhubarbpeony · 14/03/2020 12:15
You learn something every day! Thank you for the impromptu history lesson!
StarbucksSmarterSister · 14/03/2020 12:31
I've been interested in Greece and it's history since I was 11.
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 13:00
@Starbucks
Thanks. When I saw the map and how close the islands were to Turkey it seems strange that they were Greek. So, pre Ottoman culturally they were always identified as Greek? How come? Ancient Greece?
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 13:02
Or was there just a much closer mingling of Greek/Turk identities across the whole of that space?
StarbucksSmarterSister · 14/03/2020 15:03
Well, ancient Greece of course and there were Greek colonies in Asia Minor (west coast of modern Turkey) from way back and I guess there was a flow of people between the two countries during the hundreds of years of the Ottoman Empire. Ethnic Greek probably meant Christian as opposed to Muslim. Onassis's family had lived in Turkey for generations but I have read that his grandmother spoke no Greek at all.
I also understand that many Greeks on the mainland didn't consider the "Asian Greeks" such as the Onassis family to be "real" Greeks.
Purplewhitelie · 14/03/2020 15:07
This has been on my mind too.
This one of the many reasons I’m saying slow the spread.
It makes it more manageable and enables better humane treatment.
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 15:08
@Starbucks
Cheers - all very interesting. Have only visited Thessaloniki which was beautiful and Istanbul (and did the trip across to Asiatic part) would love to explore Greece more.
Allaboardthemagicbus2020 · 14/03/2020 15:12
@Purplewhitelie
Yes. I also would imagine that they are relying on the young and strong to enforce much good practice in the camps to abate cholera/etc as those will spread easily. So, large numbers of already vulnerable people in poor conditions.
This really hit me last night as I was able to put the heating on and clean my room.
StarbucksSmarterSister · 14/03/2020 19:54
Allaboard
Toilet and washing facilities in camps are limited at best. The link below is over a year old but I doubt it's improved much.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greece-refugee-camps-aegan-oxfam-migration-lesbos-a8536321.html
Not getting at Greece in particular, I just don't know what's happening elsewhere.
I imagine if the virus gets into somewhere like Moria, it will be horrific.
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