The number of migrants arriving in the Balearic Islands onboard rickety boats is almost at the same level as it was in 2019.
26 boats with more than 300 migrants onboard have arrived already this year compared to 41 boats and 507 migrants in 2019, according to data from the Government Delegation.
All migrants are given coronavirus tests when they arrive in the Balearic Islands and two people who tested positive via PCR tests have been quarantined in Ibiza along with 12 others who shared their boat.
The Government Delegation says July and December are the months when the largest number of migrant boats usually arrive in the Balearic Islands from North Africa.
The ones who arrived in Ibiza and Majorca are between 20 and 30 years old and all come from Algeria.
There are no internment centres in the Balearic Islands and the ones on the Peninsula are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, so NGOs are responsible for the migrants until they can be repatriated.
Humanitarian experts believe the migrants begin their journey in larger boats, then transfer to smaller ones when they get closer to the islands.
Once their boat has been intercepted and the migrants have been rescued, a return file is opened by the Police. If the migrants do not test positive for Covid-19 the transfer procedure begins and Government Delegation sources and NGOs claim that no-one usually expresses a desire to stay.
A total of 9 boats were intercepted last weekend in Formentera and Ses Salines.
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