20/11/2019 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 20 November, the Greek government announced that it would close three of the most overcrowded camps on the Greek islands, namely those on the islands of Lesbos, Samos and Chios, which currently shelter more than 27,000 people with a theoretical capacity of 4,500 places. These centres will be replaced by closed structures of 5,000 places each. “Decongesting the islands is the priority at this stage”, said the government's special coordinator for migration, Alkiviadis Stefanis, according to AFP. The closing date has not been set. Instead of being allowed to move freely on the islands, asylum seekers will be locked inside the new camps until they can be identified, their status studied and their relocation or return to Turkey decided, he added. (SP)