Coronavirus: Ethiopia announces measures to combat pandemic

Ethiopia confirmed the fifth coronavirus case on Monday (March 16), a day after it had recorded an increase of three in addition to the index case that was recorded last week.

The office of the Prime Minister issued a statement surrounding key measures taken by government to safeguard public safety and orderliness.

The COVID-19 National Ministerial Committee at its second meeting led by PM Abiy agreed on a number of measures aimed at addressing containment and potential spread of the virus.

It announced a 10-point measure that was set to last “for the next two weeks, subject to further assessments,” the statement read. the measures included wide-ranging public bans, social interventions and regulating of economic activities propped up by the pandemic.

“The Prime Minister calls upon all to maintain calm and equip themselves with accurate information from the Ministry of Health.

“Citizens are asked to maintain strong hand hygiene and avoid (ing) unnecessary physical contact in line with Ministry of Health guidelines,” the statement concluded.

PM Abiy over the weekend disclosed that he had reached a partnership with Chinese e-commerce founder Jack Ma for an Africa wide supply of key coronavirus materials including masks, testing kits and literature.

Together with members of my cabinet, I have accepted @WHO and @DrTedros’s #SafeHands challenge as a means of preventing the spread of #COVID19. I challenge @EmmanuelMacron and @MohamedBinZayed pic.twitter.com/66DpjmpAA9

— Abiy Ahmed Ali ???????? (@AbiyAhmedAli) March 16, 2020