The Head of the National Centre for Disease Control, Badereldeen al-Najar, said that hospitals are not adequately equipped to confront suspected cases of COVID-19, noting a scarcity in the number of available isolation rooms.
In an interview with a local TV station on Sunday, al-Najar said that added isolation rooms would be prepared within days in hospitals throughout Libya, but that the situation was still desperate given the circumstances in which hospitals were operating.
“No confirmed cases of Coronavirus have been detected in Libya so far,” he noted.
However, al-Najar added that “as long as we are not prepared to face the virus and do not have adequate isolation facilities, we cannot reduce its spread,” he said.
Libya has already taken several measures to contain the spread COVID-19. These include closing schools and universities, canceling sporting and cultural events and banning public gatherings.