The Health Minister for Libya’s eastern-based Interim Government, Saad Agoub, stressed that the emergence of epidemic clusters in the south of the country, and citizens’ failure to adhere to social distancing and curfews between cities were a major cause of the coronavirus outbreak.
He added that the competent authorities were still coherent in carrying out their duties, and he stressed the need for citizens to adhere to precautionary measures to limit the spread of the virus.
This came during his discussions with the commander of the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Southern Operations Group, Mabrouk Ibrahim Sahban, on the obstacles faced by health and medical facilities in the south in light of the epidemic.
According to the ministry’s statement, Agoub asked for emerging epidemic clusters to be followed up in the region. He also referred to the work of monitoring, investigation and rapid response teams, as well as medical teams in their efforts to provide medicines, equipment, medical and treatment supplies needed to confront the virus to improve health conditions.
The officials emphasized the need to adhere to the curfew, and apply city isolation measures until the pandemic subsides, in addition to preventing movements between cities except for emergency cases.
Agoub assured the commander of the Army’s Southern Operations Group that the strategic stockpiles of medicines, equipment, preventive supplies and respirators to confront the Coronavirus were sufficient. He pointed out that the Supreme Committee for Combating the Epidemic has taken control measures to control the epidemic.
On Saturday, the Libyan National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 200 new coronavirus cases in the country, bringing the total number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in Libya to 5,079. In a statement, the NCDC said that it has recorded a new coronavirus death case as the death toll jumped to 108.