As of 24 March 2020, following the issuance of a relevant Joint Ministerial Decision of the Ministers of Finance and of Migration & Asylum,984 all temporary accommodation centres (i.e., mainland camps) and emergency facilities (i.e., hotels) have been regulated. Before that, the only three facilities officially established on the mainland were Elaionas,985 Schisto and Diavata,986 with the rest operating without an official manager, through Site Management & Support. As of May 2020, following a decision issued by the Minister of Migration and Asylum,987 Directors were assigned for a period of a year, renewable for up to an additional two years, to the entire island, RICs and the temporary mainland accommodation centres. In the same month, as per Joint Ministerial Decisions issued by the Ministers of Environment and Energy, of Internal Affairs and of Migration and Asylum, the locations and the construction of the new island RICs on Leros (“Ormos Lakki” location, with a surface area of 25,514.09 m2), Samos (“Zervou” location, with a surface area of 244,789.34 m2) and Kos (“Mesovouni” location, with a surface area of 25,514.09 m2) were decided.988 1.2. The islands and accommodation in the hotspots Immediately after the launch of the EU-Türkiye Statement on 20 March 2016, Reception and Identification Centres (RIC) – the so-called “hotspot” facilities – were transformed into closed detention facilities due to a practice of blanket detention of all newly arrived persons.989 Following criticism by national and international organisations and actors, as well as due to the limited capacity to maintain and run closed facilities on the islands with a large population, 990 this practice was largely abandoned shortly afterwards. As a result, before the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent establishment of the new CCACs, islands RICs were mainly operating as open reception centres, similar to mainland camps (with the exception of mainland RICs of Orestiada, Diavata and Malakasa). In March 2020, following the breakout of the global COVID-19 pandemic, those residing in RICs and camps became subject to disproportionate restrictions of their freedom of movement in the context of measures aimed at restricting the spread of the virus. 991 These restrictions continued being renewed up to 27 March 2023,992 even though restrictive measures in the context of the pandemic had largely stopped being applied to the rest of the population.993 984 985 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993 JMD 2945/2020 on the ‘Establishment of Temporary Reception Structures for Third-Country Nationals or Stateless Persons who have applied for international protection’, Gov. Gazette 1016/Β/24-3-2020. JMD 3/5262, ‘Establishment of the Open Facility for the hospitality of asylum seekers and persons belonging to vulnerable groups in Elaionas Attica Region’, 18 September 2015, Gov. Gazette B2065/18.09.2015; JMD 3.2/6008 ‘Establishment of the Open Facility for the temporary reception of applicant of international protection’, 18 September 2015, Gov. Gazette B’ 1940/6.06.2017. JMD 3/14762, ‘Establishment of Open Facilities for the Temporary Hospitality of applicant for international protection’, Gov. Gazette Β’ 3720/16.11.2016. Ministerial decision 4512/19.05.2020 of the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Gov. Gazette Government Gazette, Volume of Special Position Employees and Administration Bodies of the Public Sector and the Broader Public Sector Agencies, no.381/23-05-2021. JMD 4712, 4711 and 5099, Gov. Gazette 2043/Β/30-5-2020. AIDA, Country Report Greece: 2016 Update, March 2017, available at: https://bit.ly/3J8Qw23, p.100 et seq. UNHCR, Explanatory Memorandum to UNHCR’s Submission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on developments in the management of asylum and reception in Greece, May 2017, available at: https://bit.ly/3Qhsk0O, p. 10. Although measures for the general population have largely fluctuated throughout the year, also depending on the epidemiological actualities of each location, residents of RICs and camps have been consistently subject to a horizontal restriction of their movement between 7pm-7am, with representatives of families or groups only allowed exit from the respective facilities in order to cover essential needs, as per consecutive Joint Ministerial Decisions issued since 21 March 2020. Amongst others, see HRW, Greece Again Extends Covid-19 Lockdown at Refugee Camps, 12 June 2020, available at: https://bit.ly/3fmYncl. JMD Δ1α/ΓΠ.οικ.15102/10.3.2023 on the “Extension of the Joint Ministerial Decision Δ1α/ΓΠ.οικ.5432/27.1.2023 (Β' 389) regarding emergency measures to protect public health from the risk of further spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 in the whole of the Territory until Monday, 27 March 2023 at 06:00”, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3w9lrI4, in conjunction with JMD Δ1α/ΓΠ.οικ.5432/27.1.2023 and Annex II therein. For more, see AIDA, Country Report Greece: 2022 Update, June 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/45vXAir, p. 165. 207