65 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean test positive for coronavirus after they are quarantined in Malta
- 65 migrants rescued at sea have tested positive for coronavirus in Malta
- The migrants were adrift for 30 hours before Maltese authorities rescued them
- Government said those who are positive will be isolated at a reception center
65 migrants rescued at sea in the Mediterranean have tested positive for coronavirus while being quarantined in Malta.
Maltese authorities say the group of migrants rescued on Sunday tested positive for the coronavirus after being rescued by the country’s coastguard.
Twenty of them tested negative and officials are waiting for results on another nine.
65 migrants rescued at sea in the Mediterranean have tested positive for coronavirus while being quarantined in Malta. Above, file image of rescued migrants are seen on an Armed Forces of Malta’s vessel after arriving in Senglea, in Valletta’s Grand Harbour, on July 27
The migrants were among 94 who were adrift in the Mediterranean Sea for more than 30 hours before Maltese authorities rescued them under intense pressure from aid groups.
They are thought to be from Eritrea, Morocco and Sudan.
The results of the first 85 swab tests showed the vast majority positive for the coronavirus.
The government said those who are positive will be isolated at a reception center, with the others will be quarantined for 14 days.
‘Migrants arriving by boat are immediately quarantined for 14 days and tested. The migrants who are positive will continue to be isolated and the rest will remain in quarantine and followed up,’ the health ministry said.
The migrants were among 94 who were adrift in the Mediterranean Sea for more than 30 hours. Above, rescued migrants are checked by a UNHCR worker upon arrival in Malta on July 27
‘This group arrived in Malta together and were in contact with very few other people before they were tested.’
The incident has brought Malta’s total number of active coronavirus cases up to 99, according to AFP news agency.
Malta previously had reported 708 cases of coronavirus and nine deaths, most among permanent Malta residents. Fifty migrants tested positive in March and April.