On Sunday, the Libyan Consulate in Tunis announced the start of medical examinations for Libyan citizens who were stranded in Tunisia, in preparation for their return to Libya.
The Libyan Consulate in Tunisia has received 5,000 PCR devices to detect Covid-19 from the National Centre for Disease Control in Libya.
The consulate statement added that Ali Al-Sharif Ghaith Al Shaafi, a Libyan national who had been stranded on the Tunisian border, had died after contracting the disease.
The consulate criticised the Government of National Accord (GNA) for ignoring the plight of Libyans who had been stranded abroad as a result of the global pandemic.
A video of Al-Shafi was circulating on Facebook, showcasing his suffering at the Libyan-Tunisian border. In the video, Al-Shafi says: “I was on a medical trip in Tunisia, and after the spread of the coronavirus, flights were suspended and all roads prevented us from returning to our country.”
Libyans stranded abroad are facing increasingly difficult conditions, especially in Turkey, Tunisia, Italy, and Malaysia, from where Libyan nationals have repeatedly called on the GNA to accelerate their return to the country.
Covid-19 first appeared in China on December 12, 2019, in the city of Wuhan, but Chinese officials did not announce an outbreak until mid-January.
The World Health Organization (WHO) subsequently announced an international state of emergency to confront the virus, which has since spread to several countries, causing panic throughout the world.
Coronavirus is transmitted through sneezing and coughing, as well as by coming into contact with the virus after touching infected surfaces.
Among its symptoms are high body temperature, throat pain, coughing, shortness of breath, and diarrhea.
In the advanced stages of the disease, it may turn into pneumonia and kidney failure which may lead to death.