A ferry carrying 249 undocumented migrants from the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos docked at the port of Piraeus on Monday, with another ferry to follow.
Buses were waiting at the port to collect the migrants and transfer them to reception facilities on the mainland.
Asylum seekers arrive early morning on 4 May, 2020, at #Piraeus port, #Athens, as #Greece relocates #refugees and #migrants from the camps on the islands to the mainland, while gradually lifting #coronavirus #lockdown. #καραντινα #Covid19 #covid19Gr #COVID19greece pic.twitter.com/2yC5YoiuvT
— epoca libera (@epocalibera) May 4, 2020
Authorities last month announced plans to move 2,380 asylum seekers deemed to belong to vulnerable groups from overcrowded camps on the Aegean islands to less cramped facilities on the mainland.
In February, Greece said it would build new camps to accommodate 20,000 asylum seekers, who would be able to stay for a maximum of three months.
An estimated 37,000 migrants are living in grim conditions on five Greek islands. More than 110,000 people are currently living in migrant centers.
The group Human Rights Watch said last month that Greek authorities had not done enough to address overcrowding in the camps and lack of heath care, clean water and sanitation.
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