New Covid-19 cases reported at UK barracks used to house asylum seekers

Covid-19 has struck once again at the Napier Barracks in Kent used by the UK Home Office to house more than 200 asylum seekers, according to a report by the Press Association (PA) on Thursday. 

Three residents have tested positive for the virus and four dormitory blocks are in isolation, the news agency reported.

An outbreak of the coronavirus occurred in January resulting in 200 asylum seekers catching Covid-19. This sparked a slew of allegations that the barracks are not fit for purpose. 

This was "totally predictable [and] evitable" given the conditions at Napier, said Maddie Harris from Humans for Rights Network to The New Arab. 

Harris said it was "insulting to those in the camp" to say that any lessons had been learnt from the first outbreak. 

"The barracks need to be closed," added Harris. "There is no other solution because they are not safe". 

Three cases of Covid have been confirmed at Napier Barracks. Refugee Action describes the latest infections as ‘shameful, predictable and avoidable.’ pic.twitter.com/IwFnS32W0G

— Simon Jones (@SimonJonesNews) August 12, 2021

The UK Home Office confirmed with The New Arab that there are a "small number of cases" at the barracks and that "all appropriate covid protocols are being followed in accordance with Public Health England advice". 

After the first outbreak, an inspection of Napier reported that "given the cramped communal conditions and unworkable cohorting at Napier, once one person was infected a large-scale outbreak was virtually inevitable.” 

Over a hundred people were confined to their billets for approximately four weeks during the first surge in cases, only able to go outside to wash and use the toilet, said the report. Residents described feeling trapped as a result, it read. 

"Hygiene is really poor [and] the chance of getting any type of disease is really high," said a young Iranian who spent three months inside Napier to OpenDemocracy. 

New transfers to the barracks were stopped in June after a High Court judge found that the site failed to meet minimum standards. However, asylum seekers were being sent to the barracks from around two weeks ago, according to the PA. 

Harris accused the UK Home Office of lacking transparency around their management of Napier and said: "They have a lot to hide."