Medical authorities have warned that Libya will enter a dangerous phase in the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease and the country would fail in containing the pandemic over the neglect of preventive measures.
The country’s total coronavirus cases reached 45,821, pushing Libya to phase four of the pandemic.
Dr. Khalifa al-Bakoush, chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee on the coronavirus pandemic, said that the reopening of wedding and funeral halls - despite the ban – in addition to lack of commitment to prevention methods, pushed Libya above the fourth phase instead of dropping to the third.
He said officials at the Ministry of Education had been lax in implementing the preventive measures, especially with the start of the exams. He also mentioned the neglect of measures at mosques as they began to reopen, he added.
He rejected going back to square one in the fight against the pandemic, saying Libya can live with the virus if the public adheres to the precautionary and preventative measures.
He warned that in case the authorities failed to monitor the adherence to these measures, then the committee would be compelled to recommend a total lockdown.
PCR tests have reached 4,500, Bakoush said, as he looked forward to increasing the tests despite the high cost of analysis (at least US200).
In the past 24 hours, Libya recorded 836 new cases, 454 of which in Tripoli. Recoveries totaled 25,301 while the death toll reached 669.
In response to the spike in cases, the municipal council of Gadamis ordered a full lockdown and imposed a three-day curfew starting from 12 noon Wednesday until 6 am Saturday.
The decision exempted pharmacies, medical laboratories, and stores that sell drinking water.
