Elizabeth Hoff, the World Health Organisation(WHO) Representative in Libya, tweeted on Wednesday: “We are alarmed at the rapid spread of the virus in the country, while the number of new cases has increased dramatically, contact tracing remains difficult.”
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) of Libya, reported 553 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. This brings the total confirmed cases in the country to 11,834.
To curb the spread of the pandemic, Libya has taken a series of precautionary measures since the first case was reported in March. These measures include closing the country’s borders, shutting down schools and mosques, banning public gatherings, and imposing a nightly curfew.
China donated a medical aid shipment to Libya in June. This consisted of 834 nucleic acid diagnostic kits, 5,000 medical protective suits, 15,000 N95 face masks, 100,000 surgical masks, 5,000 pairs of goggles, and 5,000 pairs of medical gloves.