Access to migrant reception centres has been restricted to residents and employees, whose body temperature is being checked upon entry, while isolation units have been set up in case of a corona-virus emergency.

This is part of a Covid-19 contingency plan for migrant centres, a home affairs ministry spokesperson told Times of Malta.

Centres are being disinfected regularly and employees have been provided with protective equipment.

Medical professionals are monitoring individuals and keeping in touch with the Luqa swabbing centre, the spokesperson said.

Migrants have expressed concern about hygiene conditions at open and detention centres. They say they cannot practise social distancing and were not always given updated information.

The ministry said the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) has produced leaflets in different languages about the novel coronavirus in collaboration with UNHCR.

Regular talks were being held for residents and an online mental health support service set up.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR’s representative, Samar Mazloum, said the agency was strengthening remote communication with the local refugee and asylum-seeking population.

It was providing hygiene and sanitation guidance, sharing government updates about quarantine measures or other restrictions and notifying people about any suspension of services.

Working with AWAS, it was also developing information in six languages about the possible impact of a complete lockdown, to be distributed through channels such as WhatsApp and Facebook.

It has created a special Facebook group for refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants and will be sending out voice messages.

“We hope that through these measures, refugees and asylum-seekers will be well-informed not only on how to protect themselves and those around them from COVID-19, but also on where to go and what to do if they need help,” Mazloum said.