Saturday April 4, 2020
Mogadishu (HOL) - Two more cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Somalia raising the number to seven, Health Minister Fawziya Abikar has said.
According to the minister, one of the patients is a foreign national working within the UN compound in Mogadishu while the other in a Somali national.
The latest cases raise the number to two of foreign nationals working with the UN. The compound locally known as Halane is home to people of several nationalities who work for various UN agencies located in the country.
The first case was detected late March. The UN Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) said the affected person was a contractor for the UN.
Somalia has since closed down all learning institutions, halted located and international flights and suspended religious schools to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
Somalia is the only country in the region which has recorded the least cases with neighbouring countries now recording double digits. Kenya has the highest cases at 122 followed by Djibouti with 49 and Ethiopia with 35.
A Somali citizen in Kenya was confirmed positive for the disease by health authorities Friday.