Italy closed its ports to irregular migrants saved by NGOs in the Mediterranean in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to media reports.
A legal decision adopted late Tuesday by the health, interior, foreign and transportation ministers closes ports to those saved beyond the Italian search and rescue region in the Mediterranean.
ITALY HAS REPORTED 17,669 FATALITIES RESULTING FROM THE VIRUS
The Alan Kurdi rescue vessel, named after a toddler whose lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015 and became an international symbol, was not allowed to deck at an Italian port in recent days.
Residents in Lampedusa, Italy’s closest point to Africa, reportedly held a demonstration due to irregular migrants, with reports saying protesters were critical of migrants who defied quarantine measures.
Reports added residents’ anger was a result of three migrants traveling on the island.
There are nearly 1.5 million confirmed cases worldwide, almost 87,500 deaths, and more than 317,600 recoveries, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.