Health
COVID-19 fears Afghanistan; all educational institutions put on leave
Presidential Spokesperson Sedqi Sediqqi said in a tweet, “On joint requests of public health, education, higher education, and information and culture ministries, the president calls on all educational sectors, private and service, to remain close until 17th April 2020.
In the meantime, sports authorities have also declared that all events have been put on hold until the next notice.
According to reports from the ministry of public health, at least one positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Herat, Samangan, Balkh and Kapisa provinces each.
The MOPH adds that a total of 191 coronavirus possible cases have been registered in Afghanistan so far; out of which 11 tested positive, 180 negatives, and 42 others are being tested in laboratories.
It is noteworthy that members of parliament representing western Afghan provinces underline that the government has to take serious actions to tackle the virus, or else it will spread to more parts of Afghanistan.
With the increase in the number of the COVID-19 infected, these MPs have expressed their concerns noting that in the last 4 days, some 37,000 Afghan nationals have been returned back to the Herat province of Afghanistan from Iran. Some of these returnees, reportedly, have traveled to other provinces too.
The MPs say that if the quarantine is not seriously taken into consideration in Afghan borders, the deadly virus will rapidly travel through Afghanistan.