Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country.
Key prevention and response preparations are underway at the federal and regional levels, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, the Prime Minister said on Twitter on Monday, 9 March 2020.
“It is imperative to maintain calm, undertake preventative care per Ministry of Health guidelines and strengthen awareness among our communities on prevention and response mechanisms,” he added.
The premier’s remark came after he held a discussion with a ministerial committee in charge of exploring means and ways to effectively respond if the spread of coronavirus happens in the country.
The remark also comes amid growing concerns and criticism that the Ethiopian Airlines does not suspend flights to coronavirus hit cities of China.
Chief Executive of Officer (CEO) of the Ethiopian Tewolde Gebremariam recently said: “it is impossible to prevent or control the spread of the virus by suspending direct flights to the cities of China.”
“It is unfair to discriminate China due to the spreading virus,” Gebremariam said, adding that the Airlines has reported a twenty percent revenue reduction due to the disease.
Amidst rising criticism and despite the fact that nearly all major world airlines have suspended flights to mainland China, Ethiopian Airlines has, so far, continued flying to the virus stricken cities of China from Addis Ababa.
“I am fully confident of our progress thus far,” the Prime Minister said.
It is recalled that two Ethiopians who live in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were tested positive for coronavirus last week.
Currently, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ethiopia. More than Nearly 110,000 people worldwide have contracted the coronavirus.
About 3,831 people have died – the majority in China.
– APA
