Libya received over 400 citizens who had been stranded in Egypt, at the time local and international medical institutions fear the country still needs to enhance its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UN-backed Libyan government decided to reduce the daily curfew time from 24 to 12 hours. The new curfew will be from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., during which the movement of vehicles will be allowed instead of the previous tight restriction.
Libya has 61 coronavirus cases, including 15 recoveries and two deaths.
Many municipalities and cities announced their readiness to receive coronavirus cases after preparing and equipping quarantine centers with necessary respirators and supplies.
Director of Health Services Department in Tobruk, Abdul Moneim Swiker, said that citizens who have returned are put in four hotels until their quarantine period is over to ensure their safety.
Swiker, who is also member of the consultative committee to combat COVID-19 pandemic, said that the country is prepared to receive more people.
Director general of the National Center for Disease Control of Libya, Badreddine al-Najjar said that isolation rooms are 85 percent equipped to receive patients. He indicated that Libya is still at a dangerous stage and citizens must maintain social distancing.
International organizations warned that the medical system in Libya is not prepared to confront the spread of the virus. They also expressed fear for the thousands of displaced citizens who are now lacking shelter and adequate medical care due to the war on the borders of Tripoli.
Cities to the west of the country are still coronavirus-free after the recovery of the four cases that appeared there.
Health Minister Saad Aqoub said that areas under the control of the government overcame the critical stage, however, he warned of a crisis in the event of non-compliance with quarantine measures by citizens returning from abroad.
