Unrest, division in Libya threatens COVID-19 response

Libya’s battle against the coronavirus is being threatened by wars and division.The government is struggling to deal with an outbreak in the deep desert south.

“Efforts are good, considering how the disease got into the country. Previously, the illness was not here, it came from people returning from abroad who should be put in quarantine here, and it should be cheap to do so,” said Bashir al-Duwaid, a local.

The North African nation first reported cases of the virus in late March. Then it seemed relatively contained as cases were very low compared to neighbouring countries.

Recently, the situation has rapidly changed with dozens of covid-19 cases being reported in the south’s largest oasis city of Sabha.

The UN-backed government, the GNA registered some 393 infections and five deaths nationwide on Friday, around half of them in Sabha.

The oil-rich nation has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moamar Gaddafi in 2011.

AFP