In the latest criticism of the government’s publicized efforts to control immigration and reduce the cost of housing an increasing number of asylum seekers, local health officials said over the weekend that the barge operator was informed of the bacteria on last Monday, a day before the asylum seekers were transferred to the Bibby Stockholm.
But Health Secretary Steve Barclay said ministers were not informed about the bacteria until Thursday, and had taken “very swift action.” The Home Office, the British government department responsible for migration, moved the 39 men already staying on the ship to another location on Friday.
Questions about the government’s response to the bacteria outbreak came after a weekend in which immigration dominated the news due to a surge in the number of people crossing the English Channel in small boats during a period of good weather. time and the death of at least six people in a boat wreck off the French coast. More than 1,600 people arrived in England on 30 ships between August 10 and 12, the government said Monday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping the crossings a crucial goal as he campaigns to consolidate voter support for his Conservative Party, which is trailing far behind in opinion polls ahead of a general election scheduled for next year. comes.
Part of that strategy is the plan to move asylum seekers from hotels to barges and disused military bases to make travel to Britain less attractive and to cut the cost of housing asylum seekers in Britain. Sunak also wants to deport people who come to the country illegally to Rwanda, though that plan has been stalled in court.
The British government says it spends about 6 million pounds a day ($7.6 million) on hotel rooms for 51,000 asylum seekers. The number of people seeking asylum in the country soared to more than 167,000 at the end of last year, compared with about 45,000 in 2018, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
The government aims to house up to 500 adult men at the Bibby Stockholm.
Legionella or Legionnaires’ disease is a serious respiratory illness contracted when people inhale tiny droplets of water containing the bacteria. It is not spread from person to person, but it is found in cooling systems in large buildings and in water pipes that are not used regularly. Although the symptoms are similar to the flu, Legionnaires’ disease can be treated with antibiotics.
The allegations surrounding the bacterium are yet another setback for the plan to bring asylum seekers to the Bibby Stockholm. Fire officials had earlier raised concerns about precautionary measures on the barge and migrant rights advocates had questioned the appropriateness of housing people fleeing war and persecution in such a precarious way.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
