We are living through unprecedented times, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected people all over the world, but it has affected some more than others. Restrictions of movement brought into effect for island Reception and Identification Centres (often referred to as hotspots or RICs) have had perhaps unintended but dire consequences, and align with the Greek government’s pre-existing plans to create closed centres on Lesvos, Samos, Chios, Kos and Leros as announced in November 2019. While the Government plans to close the existing RICs on Lesvos, Samos and Lesvos and construct new detention centres, Leros (Lepida) and Kos (Pyli) will instead be transformed into closed facilities with a capacity of 1,000 and 2,000 places, respectively.1 Though there are many reports on the difficult situations faced by people living in the RICs of Lesvos, Chios and Samos, the smaller facilities on Kos and Leros are often forgotten. However, on both islands the hotspots make up a large proportion of the islands’ entire population as fewer people live there overall. On Leros, for example, refugees and asylum seekers make up 20% of the whole population on the island.2 At the time of writing (April 2020) both hotspots are over capacity. Leros RIC is currently hosting 1997 people in a space with the capacity for 860 and Kos RIC is hosting 2594 people in a space for 816.3 In Leros there are a further 87 people housed in PIKPA which has capacity for 120. The Pre-departure and Removal centre (or PDDC) adjacent to Kos hotspot is also close to capacity, 447 people held in a space for 474, and an additional three people are being held in police detention. Reports have indicated a lack of adequate and appropriate food, cleaning, hygiene and maintenance. Conditions in police detention have recently been condemned as substandard throughout Greece, with most police establishments being found unsuitable for holding detained persons for periods of longer than 24 hours. Reports have indicated a lack of adequate and appropriate food, cleaning, hygiene and maintenance.4 The last points are of course of particular concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. The general lack of medical and hygiene facilities available in hotspots, detention centres and police detention cells highlight the difficulties faced by detained and movement restricted refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing is simply not possible in an overcrowded space, leading many organisations to call for the removal of people from the hotspots including Médecins Sans Frontières5 (MSF), the International Organisation for Migration6 (IOM) and Human Rights 360. "When the virus hits overcrowded camps in Greece, the consequences will be devastating," said Fotini Kokkinaki from Human Rights 360. "That will be a nightmare within an existing nightmare since the public health system has collapsed during the previous years of economic depression. We must act now before it is too late." 7 "When the virus hits overcrowded camps in Greece, the consequences will be devastating." — FOTINI KOKKINAKI Human Rights 360 Photo credit: Lenny Rothenburg 1. https://www.ecre.org/greece-return-to-plans-for-detention-centres-on-the-islands Information provided by Echo100Plus in interview by Emma Musty with Evelina Eskenazi on the 8 April 2020 https://infocrisis.gov.gr/8570/apotyposi-tis-ethnikis-ikonas-katastasis-gia-to-prosfygiko-metanasteftiko-zitima-tin-15-4-2020 4. https://rm.coe.int/16809e2059 (p.4) 5. https://www.msf.org/urgent-evacuation-squalid-camps-greece-needed-over-covid-19-fears 6. https://www.iom.int/news/iom-raises-concern-over-increasing-covid-19-cases-recorded-greece-mainland-refugee-and-migrant 7. https://www.humanrights360.org/greece-move-asylum-seekers-migrants-to-safety 2. 3. 03 | The Invisible Islands | Introduction