An Iranian man who contracted coronavirus while living at a former military barracks converted into housing for asylum seekers has said he is afraid of returning from hospital to the crowded and unhygienic accommodation.
Afshar, 27, was being held at the recently converted Napier barracks near Folkestone, Kent, when he fell ill and was diagnosed with the virus. He was taken to William Harvey hospital near Ashford, where he remained for nearly two months.
Afshar believes he contracted the virus at the barracks as he had been there for three weeks and had little contact with people outside the accommodation, which is holding hundreds of other asylum seekers.
Serious concerns have been raised about conditions at the site, which is being run by the private contractor Clearsprings Ready Homes, where there has been a hunger strike, attempted suicides, unrest and frequent medical emergencies.
Afshar spoke to the Guardian as it emerged charity volunteers had been asked to sign a confidentiality agreement, underpinned by the Official Secrets Act, preventing them from discussing what they witnessed on the site.
He said there were not enough toilets for the people held in each block, the food was poor and in short supply, while bottled water ran out and the tap water was not potable. Since he has been in hospital, he has not spoken to anyone from the barracks and has struggled to have his clothes and belongings sent to him.
The Home Office has strongly denied the allegations. It says a member of staff at the barracks has spoken to a member of Afshar’s medical team once a week, his belongings can be returned to him and that the conditions at the barracks are suitable.
But Afshar insists he has received no contact directly or via doctors from the barracks, and criticism of the conditions are shared by volunteers and other residents.
“The camp is in a very bad condition in terms of health and food,” Afshar said from his hospital bed. “Three weeks into my stay at Napier I started to feel very poorly … The camp manager paid no attention until I started to have bad stomach cramps, which I later found out was internal bleeding.”
Afshar tested positive for coronavirus and was taken to hospital on 12 October. He has lost 15kg (33lb) since he was admitted.
“I was brought by ambulance to the hospital and here I will stay for a while because the doctors say I should not be going back to a place like the barracks in my condition,” he said.
Following Afshar’s diagnosis, dozens of asylum seekers were placed in quarantine in one of the blocks at the barracks, which was sealed off with tape. One of the asylum seekers who was held within the quarantined building raised serious concerns about the management’s approach.
“We were only quarantined. We told them to clean the area where the unwell person had been, such as their cupboard, bed and blanket. But no one came to clean the place,” he said.
“This place is a prison, not a barracks.”
Afshar, an electrician who was born in Khuzestan, Iran, said he had fled the country because he had been persecuted for being a Christian, beaten and threatened with death.
“I am not a bad person. I just want to live in peace and safety,” he said.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We completely reject these claims, which are without merit. Asylum seekers at Napier barracks are staying in safe, Covid-compliant conditions, in line with the law and social distancing requirements.”
Afshar’s name has been changed.
