A COVID-19 isolation centre set up on the island of Lesbos, Greece, by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been forced to close, after local authorities imposed fines with potential criminal charges, related to urban planning regulations.

MSF strongly condemns the authorities’ failure to identify a solution to keep the isolation centre open when there is still a risk of coronavirus COVID-19 spreading through nearby Moria reception centre. There, more than 15,000 refugees are living in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.