Two Afghan immigrants, a 64-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man, were diagnosed with covid-19 last Sunday (4) at the Cumbica Emergency Care Unit (UPA), informed the City Hall of Guarulhos (SP). The refugees were camped at the São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, where they are waiting for vacancies in shelters in São Paulo.
According to the city hall of Guarulhos, the two Afghans remain in isolation at the UPA Cumbica until the rear guard is authorized. The monitoring responsibility rests with the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), since the international airport is a federal concession. “The agency has already been activated, as well as the Ministries of Health and Citizenship,” the city hall said in a statement.
According to the city hall, the Guarulhos Health Department performs weekly health actions with refugees who are sheltering at the airport, such as vaccinations, medical consultations, in addition to general health guidelines. “At the moment, there are 72 Afghans waiting to be welcomed there. They have already received masks and guidance on health,” the note added.
Anvisa
According to Anvisa, the situation of the Afghan refugees who are camped at the Guarulhos airport is known to the agency, “which it has followed since the first groups began to wait, in that public space, for referral to destination locations. This is an atypical situation, as the airport is not designed to accommodate people in these conditions,” the agency said in a statement.
According to information from the agency, based on observing the growth of the group and the length of stay, Anvisa officially informed the Ministry of Health on October 11, 2022 regarding the health risks of such a situation; and the National Committee for Refugees (Conare) of the Ministry of Justice, regarding the situation of shelter for campers.
The agency also informed that, according to Law 9782/99, Anvisa carries out Epidemiological Surveillance activities under technical and normative guidance from the Ministry of Health.
“The Ministry of Health responded to the official communication from the agency indicating the role of the Division of Waterborne and Foodborne Diseases of the Center for Epidemiological Surveillance (CVE) of the State Department of Health of São Paulo, as the body that would offer vaccines, collection of samples from suspected cases and support in mitigating the risk of transmitting infectious diseases. Considering the positive cases for Sars-CoV-2 of refugees identified this Sunday (4) by the Cumbica Emergency Care Unit, Anvisa has already communicated the CVE/SP and reinforced the indication of the use of masks, making them available to the entire group of refugees. If new refugees show symptoms, testing in health units in the municipality and isolation in a place outside the airport is recommended,” said the note from Anvisa.
humanitarian visa
O Afghanistan has been at war since last year, when the Taliban armed group regained control of the country. Since September 2021, the Brazilian Government has been granting visas for the purpose of humanitarian reception for people affected by the situation in Afghanistan.
After issuing the humanitarian visa, the beneficiary has up to 180 days to enter Brazil. Most international flights arrive in Brazil through Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo.
Afghans who arrive in Brazil and have no resources are sent to reception centers. However, vacancies in these spaces are insufficient, and Afghans began to flock to the airport since August this year.
The Frente Afgã Collective has provided initial assistance to Afghan refugees arriving at Guarulhos International Airport. Volunteer Laura Carneiro Antonio, who works directly with the Afghans at the airport, says that the collective has worked in several areas, from delivering packed lunches to distributing mattresses.
“Many times they arrive with nothing, without blankets or pillows. So we provide this assistance, we try to get tents and inflatable mattresses so that they have a place to sleep, and we provide other assistance while they wait for shelter, they really want to go to the shelters and be able to work”, she explained.
The question of the refugees’ health is worrying, evaluates the volunteer. “The two confirmed cases of covid-19 among refugees were asymptomatic cases, it was discovered by a health action in which they came to carry out this assistance for them, which were forwarded [à UPA] for random issues. Now we are testing everyone so that there is no risk of having other asymptomatic cases here at the airport, and it does not turn into an outbreak”.
Another challenge is to find a place and transport so that the refugees can take a shower, lamented Laura. “We have a lot of problems finding a place for them to bathe, we still have some partnerships with hotels, but what complicates a lot is the means of transport to take them to these places that offer baths”.
In addition to this collective, other institutions provide assistance to refugees, added the volunteer. “Caritas and UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and the Humanized Post are responsible for part of the shelters and their documentation,” said Laura.
According to the volunteer, the assistance is uninterrupted. “There were an average of 300 people, but it decreased a lot because many were welcomed in Caritas and UNHCR shelters. Today there are around 70 people and we are always ready in case new families arrive. We never turn our backs. One day there can be 50 people, but in a matter of minutes 50 can arrive in the same night, so we are here day and night to help them”.
While the photo report of the Brazil Agency was at the airport, 15 Afghan refugees disembarked, seven of them children.
