Health Ministry orders all Afghans to wear masks in public

Afghanistan’s government has made the wearing of face masks mandatory in public places across the country in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases.

Speaking at a news conference in Kabul on Monday, Ahmad Jawad Osmani, Afghanistan’s acting health minister, said the coronavirus situation in the country is “satisfactory” but said the wearing of face masks is necessary to stem the spread of the virus.

He also said Afghanistan has taken steps to prepare for a second wave in the event of a surge in infections.

Osmani said this comes after the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in Europe and in neighboring countries such as India, Iran and Pakistan.

He also called on Afghans around the country to cooperate with health officials to help curb the spread of the disease and to abide by all recommendations.

He said hospitals were well prepared to deal with a second wave but urged the public not to be “afraid or anxious”.

Osmani also suggested that Afghans try to avoid unnecessary journeys to countries that have high infection rates.

The health ministry reported 95 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 41,728 – including 1,544 deaths and 34,355 recoveries.

At least 10 million Afghans were believed to have been infected by the virus, a recent survey by the country’s Health Ministry said in September.