A migrant hotspot in Sicily is being
emptied as Governor Nello Musumeci continues to battle the
government in Rome over his contention that migrants are raising
COVID concerns on the island.
"This morning they started to empty the hotspot at Pozzallo,"
the governor said on Facebook.
Minister for the South Giuseppe Provenzano said he would visit
Sicily later Tuesday.
He urged Musmeci to show "institutional decorum" over the
migrant-COVID issue.
Musumeci claims the regional government has precedence over the
national government in migrant policy.
The government in Rome contends the opposite.
Musumeci has said he is ready to take legal action to uphold
Sicily's claim to competence on the issue.
The governor has issued an ordinance to clear all the island's
hotspots and migrant reception centres by midnight Tuesday.
Centre-right governor Musumeci is backed by Italy's national
centre-right opposition.
The opposition leader, Matteo Salvini pof the nationalist League
party, has said he is backing Musumeci to the hilt and may sue
the government for abetting illegal immigration.
Several COVID cases have been reported at the hotspot on the
stepping stone island of Lampedusa south of Sicily.
The island's mayor has assured Salvini that all the
COVID-positive migrants there have been isolated in suitable
facilities.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
