Greece stepped up efforts on Saturday to move thousands of migrants stranded near the border with Macedonia to sheltered camps, as spread of infections became a concern with two people in a sprawling tent city diagnosed with Hepatitis A. At the muddy tent city near the northern border town of Idomeni, at least 12,000 people, among them thousands of children and babies, were waiting to cross the border, although Macedonia and other nations along the so-called Western Balkan route have closed their borders.
Scuffles broke out in the town this week as destitute migrants and refugees scrambled for food and firewood, while many have been sleeping in the open, often in the rain and low temperatures. Greek authorities handed out leaflets in Idomeni on Saturday, informing the migrants and refugees that the main passage to northern Europe is shut and urging them to move to
buildings and hospitality centres across Greece that had been set aside for the purpose, according to a government official and a Reuters eyewitness. Leaflets would also be distributed in ports and islands to discourage people from going up to Idomeni, the government official said. "Greece will offer you accommodation, food and healthcare," read the leaflets which were written in Arabic, Farsi and Pashtun. Deputy Defence Minister Dimitris Vitsas, in charge of coordinating Greek efforts to tackle the refugee crisis, said 400 people were moved from Idomeni to camps on Friday and the numbers would increase in the coming days.