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By Sean Moriarty and Michelle Crean

The COVID-19 outbreak at the Atlas House Direct Provision Centre on Park Road is a result of the Government’s lack of action, Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) claimed this week.

Earlier this week 25 residents of Atlas House tested positive for the virus. They have since been transferred to specialist isolation units in Cork and Dublin.

MASI say that they have been warning the Government since last April that Direct Provision Centres are "not safe" as residents cannot properly social-distance in such facilities.

The group say that they are concerned at the ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 in Direct Provision Centres where people are unable to observe all the public health guidelines due to the sharing of intimate living spaces such as bedrooms, bathrooms, canteens, and other facilities with strangers.

At the start of the pandemic, MASI called on the Department of Justice to provide single rooms for single asylum seekers and self-contained units for families. The department, they say, rejected this call and insisted that people keep sharing bedrooms and communal bathrooms.

The prolonged lockdown has also had a negative impact on asylum seekers, particularly children in Direct Provision who are terrified of communal spaces and have had to spend a lot of time in bedrooms.

A MASI spokesperson, who is also coordinating the group of affected Killarney residents, said as many as three people are sharing rooms in Atlas House.

“They are sharing rooms with strangers,” Lucky Khambule, a South African former asylum seeker and co-founder of MASI, told the Killarney Advertiser.

“I have been in contact with the residents of Atlas House,” he added. “They are very scared. There are people dying from this and once you test positive you have no idea how your body will react. That is why they are scared. There is continuous over-crowding in these places, they share wash and cooking facilities, it is the exact opposite to what is happening outside. We warned, last April, that this would happen. Everything has been done wrong but our cries are not taken seriously.”

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth this week said in a statement issued to the Killarney Advertiser that it does not comment on specific COVID-19 cases or outbreaks.

“The health and well-being of all residents during the pandemic remains the highest priority for this Department. To that end a wide range of measures have been put in place across the accommodation network to address any COVID-19 related issues should they arise. These measures were implemented in collaboration with the HSE and informed by regional public health officials and infection control teams. Where off-site isolation is deemed necessary, a resident is moved to the off-site facility and supported while there. The Department will continue to work with the HSE and the Department of Health in the best interests of all residents whilst we remain in the midst of this unprecedented pandemic.”