Fifteen police officers on duty at the headquarters of Greek Police in Athens have been order in “house isolation” after they came in contact with an asylum-seeker later tested positive to coronavirus. The officers were investigating the case of the sexual abuse of a minor in the accommodation structure of Malakasa, in north-eastern Attica.
Together with his wife and the 10-year-old son, a man from Afghanistan as well as a 27-year-old suspect were taken to police headquarters. The father had denounced the sexual abuse of his son.
During the preliminary investigation on Sunday, the police officers had reportedly followed the coronavirus safety protocol, were wearing masks and gloves, while temperature measurement was conducted when the family and the suspect entered the building, Police said in a statement.
On Wednesday, the child’s 38-year-old father was tested positive to COVID-19.
Immediately the 15 police officers were placed in quarantine, the premises as well as the vehicles used for the transfer of the family from/to the structure were disinfected.
The Secretary of the Police Union told daily ethnos that the “security/safety measures were not kept” and that “the investigation should be held in a special place, not in a building where thousands of policemen go around.”
The family stayed in the headquarters around seven hours, the daily reports.
As for the suspect for the child’s abuse, he was charged, arrested, a file case was prepared, he appeared before the prosecutor, was released and returned to the facility on April 22.
It should be noted that health authorities had placed the accommodation facility in quarantine in March.
