On Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Libya announced that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Libya amounted to 1,479 per 100,000 people, registering the highest rate in North Africa.
According to OCHA’s statistics, the number of deaths are 22 deaths per 100,000 people, the second highest in the region after Tunisia.
Total number of cases are estimated at 116,064 cases, 1,802 deaths, and 95,406 successful recoveries, according to the latest update by the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
The Libyan authorities have approved new precautionary measures against the virus, including temporarily closing schools, and closing all restaurants and cafe’s.
Dr.Badr Al-Din Al-Najjar, Director of the NCDC has recently stated that the situation in the country is “getting worse and the coronavirus cases increase every day in the country.” Al-Najjar stressed the need to resort to total closure of the country in case the current situation worsens.
Since the first case was reported in March, Libyan authorities have taken a series of precautionary measures against the pandemic, including closing the country’s borders, shutting down schools and mosques, banning public gatherings, and imposing a curfew.
