Wednesday February 24, 2021
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Somalia has suspended applications and issuance of passports following the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The department of immigration said in a statement Wednesday it not be accepting applications or issuing new passports from February 27.
The move, the department said was to limit the spread of the virus.
A further 198 people contracted the disease Tuesday out of 823 tests in addition to a continued streak of over 200 cases recorded in subsequent days in the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, HOL has learnt that the COVID-19 designated facility de-Martini hospital in Mogadishu has recorded several admissions among them Somalis who travelled from the UK, raising fears a new variant of the disease had landed in the country.
There is no official word from the Ministry of Health on the discovery of a new variant in the country.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Abdirizak confirmed Wednesday he had contracted COVID-19 and that he was currently in isolation.