Quarantine Vessels and Irregular Migration: New Public Health Measures against SARS-CoV-2

During SARS-CoV-2 pandemic irregular migrants coming by sea to Europe were required to observe a period of isolation or quarantine on-board dedicated ferry vessels, converted into protected isolation system according to Technical Guidelines written by the Italian Ministry of Health. Migrants were accommodated according to their health conditions and swab tests results in different color zones. 20 “Ship Missions” were performed with an average operating time of 4.12 months in the sea. 60,086 migrants were hosted (positivity of 7.29%). This integrated management system showed some limitations but positively contributed to better manage irregular migration during the pandemic.