Italians Protest Arrival of Migrants Infected With Coronavirus

Residents of Calabria have staged large protests against the arrival of migrants who tested positive for coronavirus as thousands of illegal aliens continue to land on Italian shores.

Some 70 migrants were recently 'rescued' aboard a boat inbound from Turkey, and at least 28 were discovered to be infected with COVID-19.

Thirteen of the infected were brought to the town of Amantea and placed in apartments near other buildings housing local residents, causing outrage and demonstrations, according to local media.

“News that now risks having serious consequences has triggered the wrath of the citizens: the arrival of 13 coronavirus-positive immigrants has provoked a harsh reaction from the residents of Amantea, a town on the Tyrrhenian coast in the province of Cosenza," Il Giornale reports.

Hundreds of locals reportedly took to the streets, blocking a major roadway and demanding the migrants be brought to a more secure facility elsewhere.

In response, the Italian government deployed troops to the region to guard the apartments housing the migrants and announced they will soon be transferred to a military hospital in Rome.

Nationalist-populist figurehead Matteo Salvini weighed in on the broader crisis facing Italy, sharing photos from migrant hot spots.

"There are dozens of new cases of virus-positive immigrants, Lampedusa is collapsing, there is no trace of relocations, the famous Malta agreement has disappeared and [migrant] returns to Tunisia are blocked with the Covid excuse," Salvini wrote on Twitter. "This government endangers Italy."

Nearly 9,000 illegal migrants have reportedly arrived in Italy so far this year, with 1,296 coming between July 10 and 13 alone.

(PHOTO: Screenshot / Twitter)