Yemen extends Eid closures by 2 weeks as coronavirus spreads

The Yemeni government has extended the Eid al-Fitr holiday closures for two weeks to end on June 11th as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread largely undetected in the war-battered country.

The Ministry of Civil Service and Insurance said it approved the holiday's extension in co-ordination with the supreme emergency committee for combatting COVID-19 after considering the repercussions of the pandemic on the health sector.

Yemen's health system was already on the brink of collapse due to the five-year war between the Iran-backed Houthis (Ansarallah) and pro-government forces.

The closure extension went into effect May 31st, the day public sector institutions were slated to reopen for business in all liberated provinces.

Meanwhile, the ministry called on ministers, governors and heads of central agencies whose units provide services related to the health and livelihood of citizens and continued to perform their duties during Eid, to continue providing those services.

A number of doctors and specialists said the extension of the holiday was not alone enough to curb the number of infections.

Mandatory measures and the enforcement of social distancing to prevent congestion in the markets also were needed, they said.

"Citizens are reckless, and the markets and streets are crowded with people," Aden-based physician Dr. Anhar Faisal told Al-Mashareq.

"This exposes them to infection with the coronavirus at a time when hospitals are unable to receive additional cases due to the shortage of medical supplies and the fact that [medical] centres that are still operating are at full capacity," she said.

The emergency committee has reported an increase in the number of confirmed infections to 419 cases, including 95 deaths, as of June 4th.

"We need to raise societal awareness on the prevention of coronavirus infection because the virus outbreak has become a reality in all Yemeni provinces," said Deputy Minister of Health Abdul-Raqeeb al-Haidari.

All members of society need to fulfill their responsibility in raising awareness, exercising caution if they have any symptoms, and following directives issued by the authorities and medical community, he said.

Al-Haidari stressed "the importance of social distancing, avoiding congestion in markets and staying home to protect your health and stem the spread of the pandemic".

Deteriorating situation in Aden

Aden is witnessing a surge in the number of infections with COVID-19 and other fevers, which has led to an increase in the number of deaths.

The Charitable Emergency Centre for the Treatment of Febrile Diseases at the Cuban Modern Hospital in Aden reported that on May 28th and 29th, it received 616 cases of febrile diseases, which are widespread throughout Aden.

On May 31st, Doctors without Borders (MSF) said the al-Amal Centre in Aden has reached full capacity due to the sharp increase in confirmed and suspected cases of coronavirus infections.

MSF said it has reached an agreement with the Ministry of Health to provide immediate support to the centre for the treatment of coronavirus infections at al-Joumhouriya Hospital in Aden.

MSF also manages the health quarantine centres in Aden and Abyan.

Mohammed Rubeid, deputy general manager of the Health and Population Office in Aden called on the government and international organisations to intervene more aggressively "to save [Yemenis] after the outbreak of the coronavirus and other febrile diseases".

"The health office, in co-operation with local authorities in some districts of Aden, has launched initiatives to restart operations at a number of health centres," he said.

Yemen is counting on the donors' conference that was held in Saudi Arabia, in co-operation with the UN, June 2nd "to support the deteriorating health sector and save what can be saved", Rubeid said.

The conference raised approximately $1.35 billion in pledges for the troubled country.

The amount raised is roughly half of the required $2.41 billion that was sought to cover essential aid from June until December.