A rescue ship with 422 migrants picked up off the coast of Libya, received permission from the Italian authorities to dock in the Sicilian port of Augusta late Sunday.
Eight of the passengers tested positive for COVID-19 in health checks conducted onboard by the crew of Ocean Viking which patrols the Mediterranean Sea.
The French-based SOS Mediterranee group, which operates the vessel said passengers included pregnant women, babies, children, and unaccompanied minors.
The Ocean Viking has picked up a total of 798 people since January 11, when it returned to sea after Italy had blocked it for five months.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), about 95,000 migrants and asylum-seekers crossed the Mediterranean in 2020 in search for a better life in Europe. More than 1,200 did not survive the perilous journey.
