NEWS

Ministry aims to reduce Moria hotspot population to under 4,000 by Christmas, sources say

Ministry aims to reduce Moria hotspot population to under 4,000 by Christmas, sources say

The aim of the migration policy ministry is to leave no more than 4,000 residents living at the Moria Reception and Identification Centre on Lesvos by Christmas, moving as many asylum seekers as necessary to achieve this, ministry sources said on Friday.

A further 300 people departed from the island on Thursday on a ferry bound for Piraeus, reducing the camp's official population to 5,388 asylum seekers. Another 300 are scheduled to leave on Friday night and a further 300 on Monday.

All of the asylum seekers transferred to the mainland belong to vulnerable groups of asylum seekers, such as families with children, single women or people with health issues. According to sources, those arriving in Piraeus from Lesvos are sent to new reception facilities set up in Volvi, Thessaloniki.

Source: amna-mpa