Somalia contemplates lockdown as COVID-19 pandemic wreaks havoc

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia could impose lockdown following a surge of COVID-19 cases, Health Minister Dr. Fawziya Abikar has said, in what could trigger questions about the political gatherings and ongoing quests to have free and fair elections.

The country has struggled to contain the spread of the virus in recent months following violations of various regulations that had initially been enforced, leading to the death of dozens of people, who have contracted the virus.

In a tweet, Dr. Fawziya warned that the COVID-19 situation in Somalia is ‘dire’ and called for strict adherence to health measures to combat the disease as the country records an over 10 percent positivity rate for about a month now.

“Please maintain social distancing and avoid large gatherings at all costs. The situation is dire but we are confident that with the roll-out of vaccines in the near future we will be able to manage this second wave,” said the veteran civil servant.

According to her, containment of the first wave last year was due to restrictions imposed by the government. “The first outbreak was managed largely thanks to a lockdown and closure of all schools and universities. We have again submitted and advised for these same restrictions and measures.”

She urged parents not to send their children to school and called for adherence to health measures such as social distancing and avoiding large crowds. The government closed down schools mid-last month for two weeks as the second wave of the disease made landfall.

A further 266 people tested positive for COVID-19 Friday out of a sample size of 1,807 taking the number of confirmed cases to 7,257. Six more people died adding the fatalities to 239 while 3,808 have recovered.

The capital Mogadishu is the most hit thus far recording 3,587 cases. Somaliland comes second with 1603 followed by Puntland with 1,349 positive cases. The recent wave has also almost paralyzed operations at Martini Hospital in Mogadishu which plays host to patients.

GAROWE ONLINE