Migrants are being removed from the Bibby Stockholm ship following the discovery of Legionella bacteria in the vessel’s water system.
The Home Office stated that all 39 migrants aboard the vessel in Dorset would be offloaded by Friday’s end.
Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacterium.
The barge is part of the government’s migration agenda to lower asylum claimant housing costs.
It has not yet been disclosed where disembarking passengers will be transferred.
A barge inhabitant said that some refugees had sore throats and coughed.
He stated that they had provided samples but were unaware of any transfer or relocation to another facility.
The government intends to eventually house up to 500 males between the ages of 18 and 65 on the barge docked in Portland Port while they await the outcome of their asylum claims.
A Home Office source said a contractor found “low levels” of legionella in Bibby Stockholm’s water system on Monday.
The results are still “low levels” despite the local council informing the Home Office on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday, new information “changed the picture.” The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) was consulted and advised that the six newly-arrived asylum applicants should be disembarked.
The environmental health team of the Dorset Council has conducted additional testing. And it is anticipated that migrants will be relocated only if the water supply is completely free of contamination.
The council added that the samples pertained “only to the vessel’s water system, not the freshwater entering the vessel.” It was stated that there was “no risk to the greater Portland community.”
In a letter, migrants were informed that their temporary relocation was “required as a precautionary health and safety measure.
The letter stated, “We are not aware of any individuals onboard with clinical symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease.”
Ministers said the barge would lower asylum seekers’ hotel costs and was “completely acceptable.”
However, the initiative had already gotten off to a rocky start, as delays caused by safety concerns and legal challenges thwarted ministers’ efforts to increase the number of passengers boarding the barge.
According to government sources, they are complying with the UK Health Security Agency’s recommendations and have gone “above and beyond” by temporarily removing individuals from the barge.
A spokesperson for the Home Office stated, “No one on board has shown symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, and asylum seekers are receiving the appropriate advice and support.” Legionnaires’ disease does not travel from individual to individual.
Stephen Kinnock, the shadow immigration minister for Labour, stated that the government had become “a laughingstock this week.”
“They have not completed the safety checks properly,” he asserted, adding that the latest problems contributed to “a very clear sense that the government is in shambles.”
Additionally, activists were fast to criticize the government over the development.
Care4Calais, a charity that represents asylum-seekers, stated that its concerns regarding the barge’s safety were justified. The nonprofit organization is assisting several asylum applicants in their legal challenges against being transferred to the barge.
Alex Bailey from the campaign group Say No To The Barge stated that the news was “yet another illustration of the haphazard and incompetent manner in which our government has approached this project from the beginning.”
According to reports, immigration minister Robert Jenrick presided over meetings regarding the situation.
Earlier in the week, he characterized the accommodations on board the barge as “decent” but stated that there was “no menu of options” for asylum seekers seeking state-funded assistance.
“We must be fair to the taxpayers as well as decent and compassionate towards the affected individuals.”
