Migrants Mallorca Covid testing

Migrants were tested at the port in Palma.

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma26/09/2020 12:33
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One hundred and sixty migrants who were detained earlier this week have been confined to the Meliá Palma Bay Hotel and the "Covid" hotel in Arenal that the Balearic government organised in order to admit tourists who tested positive.

A Palma court has ratified an order for their quarantine. They were on boats along with seven others who tested positive when they were detained. These seven migrants have been admitted to Son Espases as a precautionary measure. Their transfer to the mainland will therefore be delayed until they have complied with mandatory isolation requirements.

In all, 258 migrants were detained. This is the highest figure for migrant arrivals for a whole year, let alone just one week. Migration by boat from Algeria started again in June, and it has been to Murcia, Alicante and elsewhere on the mainland coast as well as to Majorca and the Balearics. The authorities say that migrants don't intend staying in the Balearics; their preferred destinations are typically France, Germany and the UK.

The migrants who have not been placed in isolation are already being transferred to the mainland by the Red Cross. On Thursday and Friday, a total of 72 were taken by ships from Palma.