(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 28 - The civil court of Milan
has ruled that the risk of catching COVID-19 in their country of
origin can be considered a reason to grant humanitarian
protection in Italy to migrants that do not meet the
requirements for international or subsidiary protection. The
Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported the news on Sunday,
citing ordinances from the previous week. It reported that
humanitarian protection will not be granted automatically but
assessments will be made on a case-by-case basis. The assessment
will focus on whether COVID-19 as a risk factor that further
aggravates a situation of vulnerability in terms of a lack of
healthcare and food resources in the subject's country of
origin, looking at the social and economic consequences caused
by the pandemic. The Italian daily said that the rulings were
in relation to appeals filed prior to the 2018 Salvini decree -
which has since been modified - for cases of migrants from
several Asian and African countries for whom the court had not
granted asylum. However, in taking into consideration the
pandemic as a risk factor, the judges ruled that the experiences
of those migrants would justify granting humanitarian protection
if combined with the risk that they will face due to
difficulties caused by the emergence of COVID-19 in their
countries of origin, such as the lack of beds in intensive care
units and mechanic ventilators, as well as the lack of
healthcare personnel. (ANSA).
