Afghan Refugees Will Be Tested For COVID

MENA: According to Chris George, the executive director of Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), a refugee assistance nonprofit in New Haven, Connecticut, the first refugees will go to military installations. Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Bliss in Texas, and Fort Lee in Virginia are some of the bases that will be used. Once the refugees are processed at a military base, refugee response groups like IRIS will be contacted to help place the individuals and families. 

According to a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, refugees will be tested for COVID-19: "The health and wellbeing of Americans and all other people relocating from Afghanistan to the U.S. is of utmost importance and that means helping these individuals leave the country as quickly and safely as possible. We are following CDC guidelines and testing all U.S. citizens and individuals upon arrival. We are also working with USG partners to ensure CDC guidelines are followed if someone receives a positive COVID-19 test, including quarantining if needed."

The United Nations is also concerned about the spread of COVID-19: “In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, we are all vulnerable. The virus has shown that it does not discriminate - but many refugees, those forcibly displaced, the stateless and migrants are at heightened risk.” In their statement, the United Nations also said, “It is vital that everyone, including all migrants and refugees, are ensured equal access to health services and are effectively included in national responses to COVID-19, including prevention, testing and treatment.”