The situation with the coronavirus spread among the migrants in Bosnia's northwest is getting more and more complex, Healthcare Minister in the Una-Sana Canton (USK) Nermina Cemalovic warned, noting that locals in this region have become migrants' hostages and prisoners.
“They are grown-ups who respect no rules or any of our recommendations. It's hard to work with them. Five are hospitalised at the Infectious Diseases Unit of the Bihac Cantonal Hospital. One more is isolated at the Miral camp and we will transfer him to the hospital,” Cemalovic told N1.
“I'm afraid the situation is getting complex, both in terms of safety and medically,” she stressed, adding that hundreds of migrants are accommodated at migrant camps, which opens a possibility for the virus spread.
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Two migrants who tested positive for the virus have escaped the hospital's isolation room and their whereabouts are not known, said the minister. According to her, the migrants mostly behave aggressively but, as she stressed, the locals are also losing patience and are announcing new protests over the increasing presence of migrants outside the camps designated for their stay.
“We can't allow exposing our citizens to problems. We have sent millions of notes to the Security Ministry and Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, but all we get is verbal support. Croatia and Slovenia are returning migrants to our canton and it would be logical if we were sending them back to Serbia so they can send them further. But no, they all are sent to the USK and we have become the migrants’ hostages and prisoners,” she stressed.
A few camps scattered on the territory of this region which borders Croatia, a European Union member state, currently host some 3,500 migrants. THousands are roaming the streets and occupying public areas as well as the empty houses and buildings.
The situation prompted the locals of few settlements near the camps to raise their voice against the presence of migrants outside those camps and their pressure resulted in a decision of the USK authorities, who introduced a ban on the entrance and transport of migrants to and on the territory of this canton.
However, the migrants are now seeking other ways to move throughout the region in a hope they would cross the border with Croatia towards their final destinations in western Europe.
